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A  Book  for  All  Readers 

DESIGNED  AS  AN  AID  TO  THE 

COLLECTION,  USE,  AND  PRESERVATION 
OF  BOOKS 

AND  THE 
FORMATION  OF  PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE  LIBRARIES 


BY 

AiNswoRTH  Rand  Spofford 


85:^2- 


SECOND  EDITION 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  &   LONDON 

1900 


Copyright  1900 

BV 

A  R  Spofford 


ST' 

]oa: 

iv/l^t , 

hOS 

TABLE 

OF  CONTENTS. 

Chapter  *"•?« 

I .  The  Choice  of  Books,    .   .             3 

'2.  Book  Buying, 33 

3.  The  Art  of  Book  Binding, 50 

4.  Preparation  FOR  THE  Shelves:  Book  Plates,  &c.,    88 
6.  The  Enemies  of  Books lOl 

6.  Restoration  AND  Reclamation  of  Books,   ...  119 

7.  Pamphlet  Literature, 146 

8.  Periodical  Literature. 167 

9.  The  Art  OF  Reading, 171 

10.  Aids  to  Readers.         i»0 

11.  Access  TO  Library  Shelves 216 

V2.  The  Faculty  of  Memory 226 

13.  Qualifications  OF  Librarians, 242 

14.  Some  OF  THE  Uses  OF  Libraries, 276 

15.  The  History  of  Libraries,          287 

16.  Library  Buildings  and  Furnishings 321 

17.  Library  Managers  or  Trustees, 333 

18.  Library  Regulations, .341 

10.  Library  Repohts  and  Advertising,  .349 

20.  The  Formatiom  of  Libraries,      ...  .367 

21.  Classification,                                            ...  362 

22.  Catalogues,                         ...          373 

23.  Copyhight  and  Libraries, 400 

24.  Poetry  OF  the  Library, 417 

26.  Humors  of  the  Library, 4.S0 

2fi.  Rare  Books 414 

27.  Bibliography,              .  450 

Index, 601 


A  BOOK  FOR  ALL  READERS 


STAXE  NORMAL  S€HO»L, 

UOS  A^GEUHS,  CALt. 


8552 

CHAPTER  1. 

The  Choice  of  Books. 

"When  we  survey  the  really  illimitable  field  of  human 
knowledge,  the  vast  accumulation  of  works  already  print- 
ed, and  the  ever-increasing  flood  of  new  books  poured  out 
by  the  modern  press,  the  first  feeling  which  is  apt  to  arise 
in  the  mind  is  one  of  dismay,  if  not  of  despair.  We  ask — 
who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?  What  life  is  long 
enough — what  intellect  strong  enough,  to  master  even  a 
tithe  of  the  learning  which  all  these  books  contain?  But 
the  reflection  comes  to  our  aid  that,  after  all,  the  really  im- 
portant books  bear  but  a  small  proportion  to  the  mass. 
Most  books  are  but  repetitions,  in  a  difl'erent  form,  of  what 
has  already  been  many  times  written  and  printed.  The 
rarest  of  literary  qualities  is  originality.  Most  writers  are 
mere  echoes,  and  the  greater  part  of  literature  is  the  pour- 
ing out  of  one  bottle  into  another.  If  you  can  get  hold  of 
the  few  really  best  books,  you  can  well  afford  to  be  ignorant 
of  all  the  rest.  The  reader  who  has  mastered  Kames's 
"Elements  of  Criticism,"  need  not  spend  his  time  over  the 
multitudinous  treatises  upon  rhetoric.  He  who  has  read 
Plutarcli's  Lives  thoroughly  has  before  him  a  gallery  of 
heroes  which  will  go  farther  to  instruct  him  in  the  ele- 
ments of  character  than  a  whole  library  of  modern  biog- 
raphies. The  student  of  the  best  plays  of  Shakespeare 
may  save  his  time  by  letting  other  and  inferior  dramatists 
alone.  Ho  whose  imagination  has  been  fed  upon  Homer, 
Dante,  Milton,  Burns,  and  Tennyson,  with  a  few  of  the 
world's  master-pieces  in  single  poems  like  Gray's  Elegy. 
may  dispense  with  the  whole  race  of  poetasters.     Until  yov. 

(8) 


4  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

have  read  the  best  fictions  .of  St5ott,  Thackeray,  Dickens, 
Hawthorne,  George  Eliot,  and  Victor  Hugo,  you  sliould 
not  bo  himjiry  after  the  hist  new  novel, — sure  to  be  forgot- 
ten in  a  year,  while  the  former  arc  perennial.  The  taste 
which  is  once  formed  upon  models  such  as  have  been 
named,  will  not  be  satisfied  with  the  trashy  book,  or  the 
spasmodic  school  of  writing. 

What  kind  of  books  should  form  the  predominant  part 
in  the  selection  of  our  reading,  is  a  question  admitting  of 
widely  differing  opinions.  Eigid  utilitarians  may  hold  that 
only  books  of  fact,  of  history  and  science,  works  crammed 
full  of  knowledge,  should  be  encouraged.  Others  will  plead 
in  behalf  of  lighter  reading,  or  for  a  universal  range.  It 
must  be  admitted  that  the  most  attractive  reading  to  the 
mass  of  people  is  not  scientific  or  philosophical.  But  there 
are  many  very  attractive  books  outside  the  field  of  science, 
and  outside  the  realm  of  fiction,  books  capable  of  yielding 
pleasure  as  well  as  instruction.  There  are  few  books  that 
render  a  more  substantial  benefit  to  readers  of  any  age 
than  good  biographies.  In  them  we  find  those  personal 
experiences  and  adventures,  those  traits  of  character,  that 
environment  of  social  and  domestic  life,  which  form  the 
chief  interest  in  works  of  fiction.  In  fact,  the  novel,  in  its 
best  estate,  is  only  biography  amplified  by  imagination,  and 
enlivened  by  dialogue.  And  the  novel  is  successful  only 
when  it  succeeds  in  depicting  the  most  truly  the  scenes, 
circumstances,  and  characters  of  real  life.  A  well  written 
biography,  like  that  of  Dr.  Johnson,  by  Boswell,  Walter 
Scott,  by  Lockhart,  or  Charles  Dickens,  by  Forster,  gives 
the  reader  an  insight  into  the  history  of  the  times  they 
lived  in,  the  social,  political,  and  literary  environment,  and 
the  impress  of  their  famous  writings  upon  their  contempo- 
raries. In  the  autobiography  of  Dr.  Franklin,  one  of  the 
most  charming  narratives  ever  written,  we  are  taken  into 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  O 

the  writer's  confidence,  S3'mpathize  with  his  early  strug- 
gles, mistakes,  and  successes,  and  learn  how  he  made  him- 
self, from  a  poor  boy  selling  ballads  on  Boston  streets,  into 
a  leader  among  men,  whom  two  worlds  have  delighted  to 
honor.  Another  most  interesting  book  of  biography  is  that 
of  the  brothers  William  and  Robert  Chambers,  the  famous 
publishers  of  Edinburgh,  who  did  more  to  diffuse  useful 
knowledge,  and  to  educate  the  people,  by  their  manifold 
cheap  issues  of  improving  and  entertaining  literature,  than 
was  ever  done  by  the  British  Useful  Knowledge  Society  it- 
self. 

The  French  nation  has,  of  all  others,  the  greatest  genius 
for  personal  memoirs,  and  the  past  two  centuries  are 
brought  far  more  vividly  before  us  in  these  free-spoken  and 
often  amusing  chronicles,  than  in  all  the  formal  histories. 
Among  the  most  readable  of  these  (comparatively  few  hav- 
ing been  translated  into  English)  are  the  Memoirs  of  Mar- 
rnontel,  Rousseau,  Madame  Remusat,  Amiel,  and  Madame 
De  Stael.  The  recently  published  memoirs  by  Imbert  de 
St.  Amand,  of  court  life  in  France  in  the  times  of  Marie 
Antoinette,  Josephine,  Marie  Louise,  and  other  periods, 
while  hastily  written  and  not  always  accurate,  are  lively 
and  entertaining. 

The  English  people  fall  far  behind  the  French  in  bio- 
graphic skill,  and  many  of  their  memoirs  are  as  heavy  and 
dull  as  the  persons  whom  they  commemorate.  But  there 
are  bright  exceptions,  in  the  lives  of  literary  men  and  wo- 
men, and  in  some  of  those  of  noted  public  men  in  church 
and  state.  Thus,  there  arc  few  books  more  enjoyable  tlian 
Sydney  Smith's  Memoirs  and  Letters,  or  Greville's  Jour- 
nals covering  the  period  including  George  IV  to  Victoria, 
or  the  Life' and  Letters  of  Afar'aulay,  or  Afrs.  Gaskeirs 
Charlotte  Bronte,  or  the  memoirs  of  Harriet  Martiiieau,  or 
Boswell's  Life  of  Dr.  Johnson.     Among  the  briefer  biog- 


6  A    BOOK    rOU    ALL    KKADEUS. 

rapliios  worthy  of  special  mention  are  the  series  of  English 
Mon  of  Letters,  edited  by  John  Morley,  and  written  by 
some  of  the  best  of  contemporary  British  writers.  They 
embrace  memoirs  of  Chaucer,  Spenser,  Bacon,  Sidney,  Mil- 
ton, l)e  Foe,  Swift,  Sterne,  Fielding,  Locke,  Dryden,  Pope, 
Johnson,  Gray,  Addison,  Goldsmitli,  Burke,  Hume,  Gib- 
bon, Bunyan,  Bentley,  Sheridan,  Burns,  Cowper,  Southey, 
Scott,  Byron,  Lamb, Coleridge,  Keats,  Shelley, Wordsworth, 
De  Quincey,  Macaulay,  Landor,  Dickens,  Thackeray,  Haw- 
thorne, and  Carlyle.  These  biograj)hies,  being  quite  com- 
pendious, and  in  the  main  very  well  written,  afford  to  busy 
readers  a  short-hand  method  of  acquainting  themselves 
with  most  of  the  notable  writers  of  Britain,  their  personal 
characteristics,  their  relation  to  their  contemporaries,  and 
the  quality  and  influence  of  their  works.  Americans  have 
not  as  yet  illustrated  the  field  of  biographic  literature  by 
many  notably  skilful  examples.  We  are  especially  defici- 
ent in  good  autobiographies,  so  that  Dr.  Franklin's  stands 
almost  alone  in  singular  merit  in  that  class.  We  have  an 
abundance  of  lives  of  notable  generals,  professional  men, 
and  politicians,  in  which  indiscriminate  eulogy  and  parti- 
sanship too  often  usurp  the  place  of  actual  facts,  and  the 
truth  of  history  is  distorted  to  glorify  the  merits  of  the 
subject  of  the  biography.  The  great  success  of  General 
Grant's  own  ^Memoirs,  too,  has  led  publishers  to  tempt 
many  public  men  in  military  or  civil  life,  into  the  field  of 
personal  memoirs,  not  as  yet  with  distinguished  success. 

It  were  to  be  wished  that  more  writers  possessed  of  some 
literary  skill,  who  have  borne  a  part  in  the  wonderful 
drama  involving  men  and  events  enacted  in  this  country 
during  the  century  now  drawing  to  a  close,  had  given  us 
their  sincere  personal  impressions  in  autobiographic  form. 
Such  narratives,  in  proportion  as  they  are  truthful,  are  far 
more  trustworthy  than  history  written  long  after  the  event 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  i 

by  authors  who  were  neither  observers  nor  participants  in 
the  scenes  which  they  describe. 

Among  American  biographies  which  will  help  the  reader 
to  gain  a  tolerably  wide  acquaintance  with  the  men  and  af- 
fairs of  the  past  century  in  this  country,  are  the  series  of 
Lives  of  American  Statesmen,  of  which  thirty  volumes 
have  been  published.  These  include  Washington,  the 
Adamses,  Jefferson,  Franklin,  Hamilton,  Jay,  Madison, 
Marshall,  Monroe,  Henry,  Gallatin,  Morris,  Eandolph, 
Jackson,  Van  Buren,  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  Cass,  Ben- 
ton, Seward,  Lincoln,  Chase,  Stevens,  and  Sumner,  While 
these  Memoirs  are  of  very  unequal  merit,  they  are  suffici- 
ently instructive  to  be  valuable  to  all  students  of  our  na- 
tional history. 

Another  very  useful  scries  is  that  of  American  Men  of 
Letters,  edited  by  Charles  Dudley  Warner,  in  fifteen  vol- 
umes, which  already  includes  Franklin,  Bryant,  Cooper, 
Irving,  Xoah  Webster,  Simms,  Poe,  Emerson,  Ripley,  Mar- 
garet Fuller,  Willis,  Thoreau,  Taylor,  and  Curtis. 

In  the  department  of  history,  the  best  books  for  learners 
are  not  always  the  most  famous.  Any  mere  synopsis  of 
universal  history  is  necessarily  dry  reading,  but  for  a  con- 
stant help  in  reference,  guiding  one  to  the  best  original 
sources,  under  each  country,  and  with  very  rcadaljle  ex- 
tracts from  the  best  writers  treating  on  each  period,  the 
late  work  of  J.  N.  Lamed,  "History  for  Ready  Reference," 
five  volumes,  will  be  found  invaluable.  Brewer's  Historic 
Xote  Book,  in  a  single  volume,  answers  many  liistoric 
queries  in  a  single  glance  at  the  alphabet.  For  the  History 
of  the  IJnited  States,  either  John  Fiske's  or  Eggleston's  is 
an  excellent  compend,  while  for  the  fullest  treatment,  Ban- 
croft's covers  the  period  from  the  discovery  of  America  up 
to  the  afloption  of  the  constitution  in  1789,  in  a  style  at 
once  full,  classical,  and  picturesque.     For  continuations, 


8  A    BOOK    FOK   ALL    lUiADEKS. 

McMaster's  History  of  the  People  of  the  United  States 
covers  the  period  from  1789  to  182-i,  and  is  being  con- 
tinued. James  Schouler  has  written  a  History  of  the 
United  States  from  1789  to  1861,  in  five  volumes,  while  J. 
F.  Rhodes  ably  covers  the  years  1850  to  the  Civil  War  with 
a  much  more  copious  narrative. 

For  the  annals  of  England,  the  Short  History  of  Eng- 
land by  J.  E.  Green  is  a  most  excellent  compend.  For 
more  elaborate  works,  the  histories  of  Hume  and  Macaulay 
bring  the  story  of  the  British  Empire  down  to  about  1700. 
For  the  more  modern  period,  Lecky's  History  of  England 
in  the  18th  century  is  excellent,  and  for  the  present  cen- 
tury, McCarthy's  History  of  Our  Own  Time,  and  Miss  Mar- 
tineau's  History  of  England,  1815-52,  are  well  written 
works.  French  history  is  briefly  treated  in  the  Student's 
History  of  France,  while  Guizot's  complete  History,  in 
eight  volumes,  gives  a  much  fuller  account,  from  the  be- 
ginnings of  France  in  the  Eoman  period,  to  the  year  1848. 
Carlyle's  French  Eevolution  is  a  splendid  picture  of  Hiat 
wonderful  epoch,  and  Sloane's  History  of  Xapoleon  gives 
very  full  details  of  the  later  period. 

For  the  history  of  Germany,  Austria,  Eussia,  France, 
Spain,  Italy,  Holland,  and  other  countries,  the  various 
works  in  the  "Story  of  the  Nations"  series,  are  excellent 
brief  histories. 

Motley's  Eise  of  the  Dutch  Eepublic  and  his  United 
Netherlands  are  highly  important  and  well  written  his- 
torical works. 

The  annals  of  the  ancient  world  are  elaborately  and  ably 
set  forth  in  Grote's  History  of  Greece,  Merivale's  Eome, 
and  Gibbon's  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Eoman  Empire. 

Another  class  of  books  closely  allied  to  biography  and 
history,  is  the  correspondence  of  public  men.  and  men  of 
letters,  with  friends  and  contemporaries.     These  familiar 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  if 

letters  frequently  give  us  views  of  social,  public,  and  pro- 
fessional life  which  are  of  absorbing  interest.  Among  the 
best  letters  of  this  class  may  be  reckoned  the  correspond- 
ence of  Horace  Walpole,  Madame  de  Sevigne,  the  poets 
Gray  and  Cowper,Lord  Macaulay,Lord  Byron,  and  Charles 
Dickens.  "Written  for  the  most  part  with  unstudied  ease 
and  unreserve,  they  entertain  the  reader  with  constant  va- 
riety of  incident  and  character,  while  at  the  same  time 
they  throw  innumerable  side-lights  upon  the  society  and 
the  history  of  the  time. 

Next,  we  may  come  to  the  master-pieces  of  the  essay- 
writers.  You  will  often  find  that  the  best  treatise  on  any 
subject  is  the  briefest,  because  the  writer  is  put  upon  con- 
densation and  pointed  statement,  by  the  very  form  and 
limitations  of  the  essay,  or  the  review  or  magazine  article. 
Book-writers  are  apt  to  be  diffuse  and  episodical,  having 
so  extensive  a  canvas  to  cover  with  their  literary  designs. 
Among  the  finest  of  the  essayists  are  Montaigne,  Lord 
Bacon,  Addison,  Goldsmith,  Macaulay,  Sir  James  Stephen, 
Cardinal  Xewman,  De  (^)uincey,  Charles  Lamb,  AYashing- 
ton  Irving,  Emerson,  Froude,  Lowell,  and  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes.  You  may  spend  many  a  delightful  hour  in  the 
perusal  of  any  one  of  these  authors. 

We  come  now  to  poetry,  which  some  people  consider 
very  unsubstantial  pabulum,  but  which  forms  one  of  the 
most  precious  and  inspiring  portions  of  the  literature  of 
the  world.  In  all  ages,  the  true  poet  has  exercised  an  in- 
fluence upon  men's  minds  that  is  unsurpassed  by  that  of 
any  other  class  of  writers.  And  the  reason  is  not  far  to 
seek.  Poetry  deals  with  the  highest  thoughts,  in  the  most 
expressive  language.  It  gives  utterance  to  all  the  senti- 
ments and  passions  of  humanity  in  rhythmic  and  harmoni- 
ous verso.  The  poet's  linos  arc  remembered  long  after  the 
finest  compositions  of  the  writers  of  prose  are  forgotten. 


10  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

They  fasten  themselves  in  the  memory  by  the  very  flow 
and  cadence  of  the  verse,  and  they  minister  to  that  sense 
of  melody  that  dwells  in  every  human  brain.  Wliat  the 
world  owes  to  its  great  jioets  can  never  be  fully  measured. 
But  some  faint  idea  of  it  may  be  gained  from  the  wondrous 
stimulus  given  through  them  to  the  imaginative  power, 
and  from  the  fact  that  those  sentiments  of  human  sym- 
pathy, justice,  virtue,  and  freedom,  which  inspire  the  best 
poetry  of  all  nations,  become  sooner  or  later  incarnated  in 
their  institutions.  This  is  the  real  significance  of  the  oft- 
quoted  saying  of  Andrew  Fletcher,  that  stout  Scotch  re- 
publican of  two  centuries  ago,  that  if  one  were  permitted 
to  make  all  the  ballads  of  a  nation,  he  need  not  care  who 
should  make  the  laws. 

In  the  best  poetry,  the  felicity  of  its  expressions  of 
thought,  joined  with  their  rhythmical  form,  makes  it  easy 
for  the  reader  to  lay  up  almost  unconsciously  a  store  in 
the  memory  of  the  noblest  poetic  sentiments,  to  comfort 
or  to  divert  him  in  many  a  weary  or  troubled  hour.  Hence 
time  is  well  spent  in  reading  over  and  over  again  the  great 
poems  of  the  world.  Far  better  and  wiser  is  this,  than  to 
waste  it  upon  the  newest  trash  that  captivates  the  popular 
fancy,  for  the  last  will  only  tickle  the  intellectual  palate 
for  an  hour,  or  a  day,  and  be  then  forgotten,  while  the 
former  will  make  one  better  and  wiser  for  all  time. 

Xor  need  one  seek  to  read  the  works  of  very  many  writ- 
ers in  order  to  fill  his  mind  with  images  of  truth  and 
beauty  which  will  dwell  with  him  forever.  The  really 
great  poets  in  the  English  tongue  may  be  counted  upon 
the  fingers.  Shakespeare  fitly  heads  the  list — a  world's 
classic,  unsurpassed  for  reach  of  imagination,  variety  of 
scenes  and  characters,  profound  insight,  ideal  power,  lofty 
eloquence,  moral  purpose,  the  most  moving  pathos,  alter- 
nating with  the  finest  humor,  and  diction  unequalled  for 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  11 

strength  and  beauty  of  expression.  Milton,  too,  in  his 
minor  poems,  has  given  us  some  of  the  noblest  verse  in  the 
language.  There  is  poetry  enough  in  his  L'Allegro  and  II 
Penseroso  to  furnish  forth  a  whole  galaxy  of  poets. 

Spenser  and  Pope,  Gray  and  Campbell,  Goldsmitli  and 
Burns,  Wordsworth  and  the  Brownings,  Tennyson  and 
Longfellow, — these  are  among  the  other  foremost  names 
in  the  catalogue  of  poets  which  none  can  afford  to  neglect. 
Add  to  these  the  best  translations  of  Homer,  Virgil,  Hor- 
ace, Dante,  and  Goethe,  and  one  need  not  want  for  intel- 
lectual company  and  solace  in  youth  or  age. 

Among  the  books  which  combine  entertainment  with  in- 
formation, the  best  narratives  of  travellers  and  voyagers 
hold  an  eminent  place.  In  them  the  reader  enlarges  the 
bounds  of  his  horizon,  and  travels  in  companionship  witli 
his  author  all  over  the  globe.  While  many,  if  not  the 
most,  of  the  books  of  modern  travellers  are  filled  with 
petty  incidents  and  personal  observations  of  no  import- 
ance, there  are  some  wonderfully  good  books  of  this  at- 
tractive class.  Such  are  Kinglake's  "Eothen,  or  traces  of 
travel  in  the  East,"  Helen  Hunt  Jackson's  "Bits  of 
Travel,"  a  volume  of  keen  and  amusing  sketches  of  Ger- 
man and  French  experiences,  the  books  of  De  Amieis  on 
Holland,  Constantinople,  and  Paris,  those  on  England  by 
Emerson,  Hawthorne,  William  Winter,  and  Richard  Grant 
White,  Curtis'  Nile  Notes,  Howells'  "Venetian  Life,"  and 
Taine's  "Italy,  Rome  and  Naples." 

The  wide  domain  of  science  can  l^e  but  cursorily  touched 
upon,  ^lany  readers  got  so  thorougli  a  distaste  for  science 
in  early  life — mainly  from  the  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
dry  text-books  in  which  our  scliools  and  colleges  have 
abounded — that  they  never  open  a  scientific  book  in  later 
years.  This  is  a  profound  mistake,  since  no  one  can  afford 
to  remain  ignorant  of  the  world  in  which  we  live,  with  its 


12  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

myriad  wonders,  its  inexhaustible  beauties,  and  its  un- 
solved problems.  And  there  are  now  works  produced  in 
every  department  of  scientific  research  which  give  in  a 
popular  and  often  in  a  fascinating  style,  the  revelations  of 
nature  which  have  come  through  the  study  and  investiga- 
tion of  man.  Such  books  are  "The  Stars  and  the  Earth," 
Ivingsley's  "Glaucus,  or  Wonders  of  the  Shore,"  Clodd's 
"Story  of  Creation,"  (a  clear  account  of  the  evolution 
theory)  Figuier's  "Vegetable  World,"  and  Professor  Lang- 
ley's  "New  Astronomy."  There  are  wise  specialists  whose 
published  labors  have  illuminated  for  the  uninformed 
reader  every  nook  and  province  of  the  mysteries  of  crea- 
tion, from  the  wing  of  a  beetle  to  the  orbits  of  the  planet- 
ary worlds.  There  are  few  pursuits  more  fascinating  than 
those  that  bring  us  acquainted  with  the  secrets  of  nature, 
whether  dragged  up  from  the  depths  of  the  sea,  or  demon- 
strated in  the  substance  and  garniture  of  the  green  earth, 
or  wrung  from  the  far-off  worlds  in  the  shining  heavens. 

A  word  only  can  be  spared  to  the  wide  and  attractive 
realm  of  fiction.  In  this  field,  those  are  the  best  books 
which  have  longest  kept  their  hold  upon  the  public  mind. 
It  is  a  wise  plan  to  neglect  the  novels  of  the  year,  and  to 
read  (or  to  re-read  in  many  cases)  the  master-pieces  which 
have  stood  the  test  of  time,  and  criticism,  and  changing 
fashions,  by  the  sure  verdict  of  a  call  for  continually  new 
editions.  Ouida  and  Trilby  may  endure  for  a  day,  but 
Thackeray  and  Walter  Scott  are  perennial.  It  is  better  to 
read  a  fine  old  book  through  three  times,  than  to  read 
three  new  books  through  once. 

Of  books  more  especially  devoted  to  the  history  of  litera- 
ture, in  times  ancient  and  modern,  and  in  various  nations, 
the  name  is  legion.  I  count  up,  of  histories  of  English  lit- 
erature alone  (leaving  out  the  American)  no  less  than  ore 
hundred  and  thirty  authors  on  this  great  field  or  some  por- 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS,  13 

tion  of  it.  To  know  what  ones  of  these  to  stud}^  and  what 
to  leave  alone,  would  require  critical  judgment  and  time 
not  at  my  command.  I  can  only  suggest  a  few  known  by 
me  to  be  good.  For  a  succinct  yet  most  skilfull}''  written 
summary  of  English  writers,  there  is  no  book  that  can  com- 
pare with  Stopford  A.  Brooke's  Primer  of  English  Litera- 
ture. For  more  full  and  detailed  treatment,  Taine's  His- 
tory of  English  Literature,  or  Chambers'  Cyclopaedia  of 
English  Literature,  two  volumes,  with  specimens  of  the 
writers  of  every  period,  are  the  best.  E.  C.  Stedman's  Vic- 
torian Poets  is  admiral)le,  as  is  also  his  Poets  of  America. 
For  a  bird's  eye  view  of  American  authors  and  their  works, 
C.  F.  Richardson's  Primer  of  American  Literature  can  l^e 
studied  to  advantage,  while  for  more  full  reference  to  our 
authors,  with  specimens  of  each,  Stedman's  Library  of 
American  Literature  in  eleven  volumes,  should  be  consult- 
ed, ^l.  C.  Tyler's  very  interesting  critical  History  of  the 
Early  American  Literature,  so  little  known,  comes  down 
in  its  fourth  volume  only  to  the  close  of  the  revolution  in 
1783. 

For  classical  literature,  the  importance  of  a  good  gen- 
eral knowledge  of  which  can  hardly  be  overrated,  J.  P.  Ma- 
liaffy's  History  of  Greek  Literature,  two  volumes,  and  G. 
A.  Simcox's  Latin  Literature,  two  volumes,  may  be  com- 
mended. On  the  literature  of  modern  languages,  to  refer 
only  to  works  written  in  English,  Saintsbury's  Primer  of 
French  Literature  is  good,  and  R.  Garnett's  History  of 
Italian  Literature  is  admirable  (by  the  former  Keeper  of 
Printed  Books  in  the  British  Museum  Library).  Lublin's 
Primer  of  German  Literature  is  excellent  for  a  condensed 
survey  of  the  writers  of  Germany,  while  W.  Scherer's  His- 
lory  of  German  liitorature,  two  volumes,  covers  a  far  wider 
fir'Id.  For  Spanish  Literature  in  its  full  extent,  there  is 
no  work  at  all  equal  to  George  Ticknor's  three  volumes, 


14  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

but  for  a  briefer  history,  II.  B.  Clark's  Hand-book  of 
Spanish  Literature,  London,  1893,  may  be  used. 

I  make  no  alhision  here  to  the  many  works  of  reference 
in  the  form  of  catalogues  and  bibliographical  works,  which 
may  be  hereafter  noted.  My  aim  has  l)een  only  to  indicate 
the  best  and  latest  treatises  covering  the  leading  literatures 
of  the  world,  having  no  space  for  the  Scandinavian,  Dutch, 
Portuguese,  Russian,  or  any  of  the  Slavonic  or  oriental 
tongues. 

Those  who  find  no  time  for  studying  the  more  extended 
works  named,  will  find  much  profit  in  devoting  their  hours 
to  the  articles  in  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica  upon  the 
literatures  of  the  various  countries.  These  are  within 
reach  of  everyone. 

The  select  list  of  books  named  in  this  chapter  does  not 
by  any  means  aim  to  cover  those  which  are  well  worth 
reading;  but  only  to  indicate  a  few,  a  very  few,  of  the  best. 
It  is  based  on  the  supposition  that  intelligent  readers  will 
give  far  less  time  to  fiction  than  to  the  more  solid  food  of 
history,  biography,  essays,  travels,  literary  history,  and  ap- 
plied science.  The  select  list  of  books  in  the  fields  already 
named  is  designed  to  include  only  the  most  improving  and 
well-executed  works.  Many  will  not  find  their  favorites 
in  the  list,  which  is  purposely  kept  within  narrow  limits, 
as  a  suggestion  only  of  a  few  of  the  best  books  for  a  home 
library  or  for  general  reading.  You  will  find  it  wise  to 
own,  as  early  in  life  as  possible,  a  few  of  the  choicest  pro- 
ductions of  the  great  writers  of  the  world.  Those  who  can 
afford  only  a  selection  from  a  selection,  can  begin  with 
never  so  few  of  the  authors  most  desired,  or  which  they 
have  not  already,  putting  in  practice  the  advice  of  Shakes- 
peare : 

"In  brief,  sir,  study  what  you  most  affect." 

Says  John  Ruskin :  "J  would  urge  upon  every  young  man 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  15 

to  obtain  as  soon  as  he  can,  by  the  severest  economy,  a  re- 
stricted and  steadily  increasing  series  of  books,  for  use 
tlirough  life;  making  his  little  library,  of  all  his  furniture, 
the  most  studied  and  decorative  piece."  And  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  urged  it  as  the  most  important  early  ambition  for 
clerks,  vrorking  men  and  women,  and  all  who  are  strug- 
gling up  in  life,  to  form  gradually  a  library  of  good  books. 
"It  is  a  man's  duty,"  says  he,  "to  have  books.  A  library 
is  not  a  luxury,  but  one  of  the  necessaries  of  life." 

And  says  Bishop  Hurst,  urging  the  vital  importance  of 
wise  selection  in  choosing  our  reading:  "If  two-thirds  of 
the  shelves  of  the  typical  domestic  library  were  emptied  of 
their  burden,  and  choice  books  put  in  their  stead,  there 
would  be  reformation  in  intelligence  and  thought  through- 
out the  civilized  world." 


Selection  of  Books  for  Public  Libraeies. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  subject  of  books  fitted  for  pub- 
lic libraries.  At  the  outset,  it  is  most  important  that  each 
selection  should  be  made  on  a  well  considered  plan.  N'o 
hap-hazard,  or  fitfully,  or  hastily  made  collection  can  an- 
swer the  two  ends  constantly  to  be  aimed  at — namely,  first, 
to  select  the  best  and  most  useful  books,  and,  secondly,  to 
economize  the  funds  of  the  library.  No  money  should  be 
wasted  upon  whims  and  experiments,  but  every  dollar 
should  be  devoted  to  the  acquisition  of  improving  books. 

As  to  the  principles  that  should  govern  and  the  limita- 
tions to  be  laid  down,  these  will  dei)end  much  upon  the 
scope  of  the  library,  and  tlie  amount  of  its  funds.  No  li- 
brary of  tlie  limited  and  moderate  class  coininoidy  found 
in  our  public  town  libraries  can  afford  to  aim  at  the  uni- 
versal range  of  a  national  library,  nor  even  at  the  ])road 
selections  proper  to  a  liberally  endowed  city  library. 


It)  A    BOOK    FOE   ALL    READEllS. 

But  its  aims,  while  modest,  should  be  comprehensive 
enough  to  provide  a  complete  selection  of  what  may  be 
termed  standard  literature,  for  the  reading  public.  If  the 
funds  are  inadequate  to  do  this  in  the  beginning,  it  should 
be  kept  constantly  in  view,  as  the  months  and  years  go  on. 
Every  great  and  notable  book  should  be  in  the  library 
sooner  or  later,  and  if  possible  at  its  foundation.  Thus 
will  its  utility  and  attractiveness  both  be  well  secured. 

Taking  first  the  case  of  a  small  public  library  about  to 
be  started,  let  us  see  in  a  few  leading  outlines  what  it  will 
need. 

1.  A  selection  of  the  best  works  of  reference  should  be 
the  corner-stone  of  every  library  collection.  In  choosing 
these,  regard  must  be  had  to  secure  the  latest  as  well  as 
the  best.  Never  buy  the  first  edition  of  Soule's  Syno- 
nymes  because  it  is  cheap,  but  insist  upon  the  revised  and 
enlarged  edition  of  1892.  Never  acquire  an  antiquated 
Lempriere's  or  Anthon's  Classical  Dictionary,  because  some 
venerable  library  director,  who  used  it  in  his  boyhood,  sug- 
gests it,  when  you  can  get  Professor  H.  T.  Peck's  "Diction- 
ary of  Classical  Antiquities,"  published  in  1897.  Never 
be  tempted  to  buy  an  old  edition  of  an  encyclopaedia  at 
half  or  quarter  price,  for  it  will  be  sure  to  lack  the  popula- 
tions of  the  last  census,  besides  being  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury or  more  in  arrears  in  its  other  information.  When 
consulting  sale  catalogues  to  select  reference  books,  look 
closely  at  the  dates  of  publication,  and  make  sure  by  your 
American  or  English  catalogues  that  no  later  edition  has 
appeared.  It  goes  without  saying  that  you  will  have  these 
essential  bibliographies,  as  well  as  Lowndes'  Manual  of 
English  Literature  first  of  all,  whether  you  are  able  to  buy 
Watt  and  Brunet  or  not. 

2.  Without  here  stopping  to  treat  of  books  of  reference 
in  detail,  which  will  appear  in  another  place,  let  me  refer 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  17 

to  some  other  great  classes  of  literature  in  which  every  li- 
brary should  be  strong.  History  stands  fairly  at  the  head, 
and  while  a  newly  established  library  cannot  hope  to  pos- 
sess at  once  all  the  noted  writers,  it  should  begin  by  secur- 
ing a  fine  selection,  embracing  general  history,  ancient  and 
modern,  and  the  history  of  each  country,  at  least  of  the 
important  nations.  For  compendious  short  histories,  the 
"Story  of  the  Nations"  series,  by  various  writers,  should 
be  secured,  and  the  more  extensive  works  of  Gibbon,  Grote, 
Mommsen,  Duruy,  Fytfe,  Green,  Macaulay,  Froude,  Mc- 
Carthy, Carlyle,  Thiers,  Bancroft,  Motley,  Prescott,  Fiske, 
Schouler,  ^McMaster,  Buckle,  Guizot,  etc.,  should  be  ac- 
quired. The  copious  lists  of  historical  works  appended  to 
Larned's  "History  for  Eeady  Eeference"  will  be  useful 
here. 

3.  Biography  stands  close  to  history  in  interest  and  im- 
portance. For  general  reference,  or  the  biography  of  all 
nations,  Lippincott's  Universal  Pronouncing  Dictionary  of 
Biography  is  essential,  as  well  as  Appleton's  Cyclopaedia  of 
American  Biography,  for  our  own  country.  For  Great 
Britain,  the  "Dictionary  of  Xational  Biography"  is  a  mine 
of  information,  and  sliould  be  added  if  funds  are  sufficient. 
Certain  sets  of  collective  biographies  which  are  important 
are  iVmerican  Statesmen,  2G  vols.,  Englishmen  of  Letters, 
—  vols.,  Autobiography,  33  vols..  Famous  Women  series, 
21  vols..  Heroes  of  the  Nation  series,  24  vols.,  American 
Pioneers  and  Patriots,  12  vols.,  and  Plutarch's  Lives. 
Then  of  indispensable  single  biographies  there  are  Bos- 
welFs  Johnson,  Lockhart's  Scott,  Froude's  Carlyle,  Trev- 
elyan's  Macaulay,  Froude's  Caesar,  Lewes'  Goethe,  etc. 

4.  Of  notaljlc  essays,  a  high  class  of  literature  in  which 
there  are  many  names,  may  bo  named  Addison,  ]\rontaigne, 
Bacon,  Goldsmith,  ]<]merson,  Tiamb,  De  Quincey,  Holmes, 
Lowell,  etc. 


18  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

5.  Poetry  stands  at  the  head  of  all  the  literature  of  im- 
agination. Some  people  of  highly  utilitarian  views  decry 
poetry,  and  desire  to  feed  all  readers  upon  facts.  But  that 
this  is  a  great  mistake  will  he  apparent  when  we  consider 
that  the  highest  expressions  of  moral  and  intellectual  truth 
and  the  most  finely  wrought  examples  of  literature  in  every 
nation  are  in  poetic  form.  Take  out  of  the  world's  litera- 
ture the  works  of  its  great  poets,  and  you  would  leave  it 
poor  indeed.  Poetry  is  the  only  great  source  for  the  nur- 
ture of  imagination,  and  without  imagination  man  is  a 
poor  creature.  I  read  the  other  day  a  dictum  of  a  certain 
writer,  alleging  that  Dickens's  Christmas  Carol  is  far  more 
effective  as  a  piece  of  writing  than  Milton's  noble  ode  "On 
the  Morning  of  Christ's  Xativity."  Such  comparisons  are 
of  small  value.  In  point  of  fact,  no  library  can  spare 
either  of  them.  I  need  not  repeat  the  familiar  names  of 
the  great  poets;  they  are  found  in  all  styles  of  production, 
and  some  of  the  best  are  among  the  least  expensive. 

6.  Travels  and  voyages  form  a  very  entertaining  as  well 
as  highly  instructive  part  of  a  library.  A  good  selection 
of  the  more  notable  will  prove  a  valuable  resource  to  read- 
ers of  nearly  every  age. 

7.  The  wide  field  of  science  should  be  carefully  gleaned 
for  a  good  range  of  approved  text-books  in  each  depart- 
ment. So  progressive  is  the  modern  world  that  the  latest 
books  are  apt  to  be  the  best  in  each  science,  something 
which  is  by  no  means  true  in  literature. 

8.  In  law,  medicine,  theology,  political  science,  sociol- 
ogy, economics,  art,  architecture,  music,  eloquence,  and 
language,  the  library  should  be  provided  with  the  leading 
modern  works. 

9.  We  come  now  to  fiction,  which  the  experience  of  all 
libraries  shows  is  the  favorite  pabulum  of  about  three  read- 
ers out  of  four.     The  great  demand  for  this  class  of  read- 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  19 

ing  renders  it  all  the  more  important  to  make  a  wise  and 
improving  selection  of  that  which  forms  the  minds  of  mul- 
titudes, and  especially  of  the  young.  This  selection  pre- 
sents to  every  librarian  and  library  director  or  trustee  some 
perplexing  problems.  To  buy  indiscriminately  the  new 
novels  of  the  day,  good,  bad,  and  indifferent  (the  last 
named  greatly  predominating)  would  be  a  very  poor  dis- 
charge of  the  duty  devolving  upon  those  who  are  the  re- 
sponsible choosers  of  the  reading  of  any  community.  Con- 
ceding, as  we  must,  the  vast  influence  and  untold  value  of 
fiction  as  a  vehicle  of  entertainment  and  instruction,  the 
question  arises — where  can  tlie  line  be  drawn  between  the 
good  and  improving  novels,  and  novels  which  are  neither 
good  nor  improving?  This  involves  something  more  than 
the  moral  tone  and  influence  of  the  fictions:  it  involves 
their  merits  and  demerits  as  literature  also.  I  hold  it  to 
be  the  bounden  duty  of  those  who  select  the  reading  of  a 
community  to  maintain  a  standard  of  good  taste,  as  well  as 
of  good  morals.  They  have  no  business  to  fill  tlie  library 
with  wretched  models  of  writing,  when  there  are  thou- 
sand of  good  models  ready,  in  numbers  far  greater  than 
tliey  have  money  to  purchase.  Weak  and  flabby  and  silly 
books  tend  to  make  weak  and  flabby  and  silly  brains.  Why 
should  library  guides  put  in  circulation  such  stufl"  as  the 
dime  novels,  or  "Old  Sleuth"  stories,  or  the  slip-slop 
novels  of  "The  Duchess,"  when  the  great  masters  of  ro- 
mantic fiction  have  endowed  us  with  so  many  ])ooks  re- 
[ilete  with  intellectual  and  moral  power?  To  furnisli  im- 
mature minds  with  the  miserable  trash  which  does  not  do- 
serve  the  name  of  literature,  is  as  blameworthy  as  to  put 
before  them  books  full  of  feverish  excitement,  or  stories  of 
successful  crime. 

We  arc  told,  indeed  (and  some  librarians  even  have  said 
it)  that  for  unformed  readers  to  read  a  bad  book  is  better 


20  A    BOOK    FOR  ALL    READERS. 

than  to  read  none  at  all.  1  do  not  believe  it.  Yon  might 
as  well  say  that  it  is  better  for  one  to  swallow  poison  than 
not  to  swallow  any  thing  at  all.  I  hold  that  library  pro- 
viders are  as  much  bound  to  furnish  wholesome  food  for 
the  minds  of  the  young  who  resort  to  them  for  guidance, 
as  their  parents  arc  to  provide  wholesome  food  for  their 
bodies. 

But  the  question  returns  upon  us — what  is  wholesome 
food?  In  the  first  place,  it  is  that  great  body  of  fiction 
which  has  borne  the  test,  both  of  critical  judgment,  and  of 
popularity  with  successive  generations  of  readers.  It  is 
the  novels  of  Scott,  Austen,  Dickens,  Thackeray,  George 
Eliot,  Cooper,  Hawthorne,  Kingsley,  Mulock-Craik,  and 
many  more,  such  as  no  parents  need  blush  to  put  into  the 
hands  of  their  daughters.  In  the  next  place,  it  is  such  a 
selection  from  the  myriads  of  stories  that  have  poured 
from  the  press  of  this  generation  as  have  been  approved  by 
the  best  readers,  and  the  critical  judgment  of  a  responsible 
press. 

As  to  books  of  questionable  morality,  I  am  aware  that 
contrary  opinions  prevail  on  the  question  whether  any 
such  books  should  be  allowed  in  a  public  library,  or  not. 
The  question  is  a  different  one  for  the  small  town  libraries 
and  for  the  great  reference  libraries  of  the  world.  The 
former  are  really  educational  institutions,  supported  at  the 
people's  expense,  like  the  free  schools,  and  should  be  held 
to  a  responsibility  from  which  the  extensive  reference  li- 
braries in  the  city  are  free.  The  latter  may  and  ought  to 
preserve  every  form  of  literature,  and,  if  national  libraries, 
they  would  be  derelict  in  their  duty  to  posterity  if  they  lL\l 
not  acquire  and  preserve  the  whole  literature  of  the  coun- 
tr}^  and  hand  it  down  complete  to  future  generations. 
The  function  of  the  public  town  library  is  different.  It 
must  indispensably  make  a  selection,  since  its  means  are 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  21 

not  adequate  to  buy  one-tenth  of  the  annual  product  of 
the  press,  which  amounts  in  only  four  nations  (England, 
France,  Germany,  and  the  United  States)  to  more  than 
thirty-five  thousand  new  volumes  a  year.  Its  selection, 
mainly  of  American  and  English  books,  must  be  small,  and 
the  smaller  it  is,  the  greater  is  the  need  of  care  in  buying. 
In  fact,  it  is  in  most  cases,  compelled  to  be  a  selection  from 
a  selection.  Therefore,  in  the  many  cases  of  doubt  arising 
as  to  the  fit  character  of  a  book,  let  the  doubt  be  resolved 
in  favor  of  the  fund,  thus  preserving  the  chance  of  getting 
a  better  book  for  the  money. 

With  this  careful  and  limited  selection  of  the  best,  out 
of  the  multitude  of  novels  that  swarm  from  the  press,  the 
reading  public  will  have  every  reason  to  be  satisfied.  No 
excuse  can  be  alleged  for  filling  up  our  libraries  with  poor 
books,  while  there  is  no  dearth  whatever  of  good  ones.  It 
is  not  the  business  of  a  public  library  to  compete  with  the 
news  stands  or  the  daily  press  in  furnishing  the  latest  short 
stories  for  popular  consumption;  a  class  of  literature  whose 
survival  is  likely  to  be  quite  as  short  as  the  stories  them- 
selves. 

Take  an  object  lesson  as  to  the  mischiefs  of  reading  the 
wretched  stuff  wliich  some  people  pretend  is  "better  than 
no  reading  at  all"  from  the  boy  Jesse  Pomeroy,  who  per- 
petrated a  murder  of  peculiar  atrocity  in  Boston.  "Pom- 
eroy confessed  that  he  had  always  been  a  great  reader  of 
'blood  and  thunder'  stories,  having  read  probably  sixty 
dime  novels,  all  treating  of  scalping  and  deeds  of  violence. 
The  boy  said  that  he  had  no  doubt  that  the  reading  of 
Ihose  books  had  a  great  deal  to  do  witli  his  course,  and  he 
would  advise  all  boys  to  leave  tliem  alone." 

In  some  libraries,  where  the  pernicious  ciTect  of  the 
loAvor  class  of  fiction  lias  been  olj<orvod,  the  directors  liave 
withdrawn    from    circulation   a   large   proportion    of    the 


22  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

novolt:,  which  had  boon  bought  by  reason  of  their  popular- 
it3\  111  otlier  newly  started  libraries  only  fiction  of  the 
higliest  grade  has  been  placed  in  the  library  from  the  start, 
and  this  is  by  far  the  best  course.  If  readers  inquire  for 
inferior  or  immoral  books,  and  are  told  that  the  library 
does  not  have  them,  although  they  will  express  surprise 
and  disappointment,  they  will  take  other  and  improving 
reading,  thus  fulfilling  the  true  function  of  the  library  as 
an  educator.  Librarians  and  library  boards  cannot  be  too 
careful  about  what  constitutes  the  collection  which  is  to 
form  the  pabulum  of  so  many  of  the  rising  generation. 

Tliis  does  not  imply  that  they  are  to  be  censors,  or 
prudes,  but  with  the  vast  field  of  literature  before  them 
from  which  to  choose,  they  are  bound  to  choose  the  best. 

The  American  Library  Association  has  had  this  subject 
under  discussion  repeatedly,  and  while  much  dilference  of 
opinion  has  arisen  from  the  difficulty  of  finding  any  abso- 
lute standard  of  excellence,  nearly  all  have  agreed  that  as 
to  certain  books,  readers  should  look  elsewhere  than  to  the 
public  free  library  for  them.  At  one  time  a  list  of  authors 
was  made  out,  many  of  whose  works  w'ere  deemed  objec- 
tionable, either  from  their  highly  sensational  character,  or 
their  bad  style,  or  their  highly  wrought  and  morbid  pic- 
tures of  human  passions,  or  their  immoral  tendency.  This 
list  no  doubt  wall  surprise  many,  as  including  writers 
whose  books  everybody,  almost,  has  read,  or  has  been  ac- 
customed to  think  well  of.  It  embraces  the  following  pop- 
ular authors,  many  of  whose  novels  have  had  a  wdde  circu- 
lation, and  that  principally  through  popular  libraries. 

Here  follow  the  names: 

Jlary  J.  Holmes,  Mrs.  Henry  Wood,  C.  L.  Hentz,  M.  P. 
Finley,  Mrs.  A.  S.  Stephens,  E.  D.  E.  N".  Southworth,  Mrs. 
Forrester,  Ehoda  Broughton,  Helen  Mathers,  Jessie  Foth- 
ergill,  M.  E.  Braddon,  Florence  Marryat,  Ouida,  Horatio 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  23 

Alger,  Mayne  Reid,  Oliver  Optic,  W.  H,  S.  Kingston,  E. 
Kellogg,  G.  W.  M.  Eeynolds,  C.  Fosdick,  Edmund  Yates, 
G.  A.  Lawrence,  Grenville  Murray,  W.  H.  Ainsworth, 
Wilkie  Collins,  E,  L.  Bulwer-Lytton,  W.  H.  Thomes,  and 
Augusta  Evans  Wilson. 

Bear  in  mind,  that  only  English  and  American  novels 
are  included,  and  those  only  of  the  present  century:  also, 
that  as  to  many  which  are  included,  no  imputation  of  im- 
morality was  made.  Such  a  "black  list''  is  obviously  open 
to  the  charge  of  doing  great  injustice  to  the  good  repute 
of  writers  named,  since  only  a  part  of  the  works  written  by 
some  of  them  can  properly  be  objected  to,  and  these  are 
not  specially  named.  Bulwer-Lytton,  for  example,  whose 
"Paul  Clifford"  is  a  very  improper  book  to  go  into  the 
hands  of  young  people,  has  written  at  least  a  dozen  other 
fictions  of  noble  moral  purpose,  and  high  literary  merit. 

Out  of  seventy  public  libraries  to  which  the  list  was  sent, 
with  inquiry  whether  the  authors  named  were  admitted  as 
books  of  circulation,  thirty  libraries  replied.  All  of  them 
admitted  Bulwer-Lytton  and  Wilkie  Collins,  all  but  two 
Oliver  Optic's  books,  and  all  but  six  Augusta  Evans  Wil- 
son's. Reynolds'  novels  were  excluded  by  twenty  libraries, 
Mrs.  Southworth's  by  eleven,  "Onida's"  by  nine,  and  Mrs. 
Stephens's  and  Mrs.  Henry  Wood's  by  eight.  Other  de- 
tails cannot  find  space  for  notice  here. 

This  instance  is  one  among  many  of  endeavors  con- 
stantly being  made  by  associated  librarians  to  stem  the 
ever  increasing  flood  of  poor  fiction  which  threatens  to  sub- 
merge the  bettor  class  of  books  in  our  public  libraries. 

That  no  such  wholesome  attempt  can  be  wholly  success- 
ful is  evident  enough.  The  passion  for  reading  fiction  is 
both  epidemic  and  chronic;  and  in  saying  this,  do  not  infer 
that  T  reckon  it  as  a  disease.  A  librarian  bas  no  right  io 
banish  fiction  because  the  appetite  for  it  is  abused.     He  is 


24  A.    BOOK    FOR    ALL    EEADEES. 

not  to  set  Tip  any  ideal  and  impossible  standard  of  selec- 
tion. His  most  useful  and  beneficent  function  is  to  turn 
into  better  channels  the  universal  hunger  for  reading 
which  is  entertaining.  Do  readers  want  an  exciting  novel? 
AVliat  can  be  more  exciting  than  "Les  Miserables"  of  Vic- 
tor Hugo,  a  book  of  exceptional  literary  excellence  and 
power?  Literature  is  full  of  fascinating  stories,  admirably 
told,  and  there  is  no  excuse  for  loading  our  libraries  with 
trash,  going  into  the  slums  for  models,  or  feeding  young 
minds  upon  the  unclean  brood  of  pessimistic  novels.  If  it 
is  said  that  people  w411  have  trash,  let  them  buy  it,  and  let 
the  libraries  wash  their  hands  of  it,  and  refuse  to  circulate 
the  stuff  which  no  hoy  nor  girl  can  touch  without  being 
contaminated. 

Those  who  claim  that  we  might  as  well  let  the  libraries 
down  to  the  level  of  the  poorest  books,  because  unformed 
and  ignorant  minds  are  capable  of  nothing  better,  should 
be  told  that  people  are  never  raised  by  giving  them  nothing 
to  look  up  to.  To  devour  infinite  trash  is  not  the  road  to 
learn  wisdom,  or  virtue,  or  even  to  attain  genuine  amuse- 
ment. To  those  who  are  afraid  that  if  the  libraries  are 
purified,  the  masses  will  get  nothing  that  they  can  read, 
the  answer  is,  have  they  not  got  the  entire  world  of  maga- 
zines, the  weekly,  daily,  and  Simday  newspapers,  which  sup- 
ply a  whole  library  of  fiction  almost  daily?  Add  to  these 
plenty  of  imaginative  literature  in  fiction  and  in  poetry, 
on  every  library's  shelves,  which  all  who  can  read  can  com- 
prehend, and  what  excuse  remains  for  buying  what  is 
neither  decent  nor  improving? 

Take  an  example  of  the  boundless  capacity  for  improve- 
ment that  exists  in  the  human  mind  and  human  taste,  from 
the  spread  of  the  fine  arts  among  the  people.  Thirty 
years  ago,  their  houses,  if  having  any  decoration  at  all, 
exhibited  those  fearful  and  wonderful  colored  lithographs 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  25 

and  chromos  in  which  bad  drawing,  bad  portraiture,  and 
bad  coloring  vied  with  each  other  to  produce  pictures 
which  it  would  be  a  mild  use  of  terms  to  call  detestable. 
Then  came  the  two  great  international  art  expositions  at 
Philadelphia  and  Chicago,  each  greatly  advancing  by  the 
finest  models,  the  standard  of  taste  in  art,  and  by  new  econ- 
omies of  reproduction  placing  the  most  beautiful  statues 
and  pictures  within  the  reach  of  the  most  moderate  purse. 
What  has  been  the  result?  An  incalculable  improvement 
in  the  pul^lic  taste,  educated  by  the  diffusion  of  the  best 
models,  until  even  the  poor  farmer  of  the  backwoods  will 
no  longer  tolerate  the  cheap  and  nasty  horrors  that  once 
disfigured  his  walls. 

The  lesson  in  art  is  good  in  literature  also.  Give  the 
common  people  good  models,  and  there  is  no  danger  but 
they  will  appreciate  and  understand  them.  Never  stoop 
to  pander  to  a  depraved  taste,  no  matter  what  specious 
pleas  you  may  hear  for  tolerating  the  low  in  order  to  lead 
to  the  high,  or  for  making  your  library  contribute  to  the 
survival  of  the  unfittest. 

Is  it  asked,  how  can  the  librarian  find  out,  among  the 
world  of  novels  from  which  he  is  to  select,  what  is  pure  and 
what  is  not,  what  is  wholesome  and  what  unliealtliy,  what 
is  improving  and  what  is  trash?  The  answer  is — there  are 
some  lists  which  will  be  most  useful  in  this  discrimination, 
while  there  is  no  list  which  is  infallil)]e.  Mr.  F.  Ley- 
})oldt's  little  catalogue  of  "Books  for  all  Time"  has  nothing 
that  any  library  need  do  without.  Another  compendious 
list  is  published  by  the  American  Library  Association. 
And  the  more  extensive  catalogue  prepared  foi  tlie  World's 
Fair  in  1893,  and  embracing  about  5,000  volumes,  entitled 
"Catalogue  of  A.  L.  A.  Library:  5,000 .vols,  for  a  popular 
library,"  while  it  has  many  mistakes  and  omissions,  is  a  tol- 
erably safe  guide  in  making  up  a  popular  library.     I  may 


26  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

note  that  the  list  of  novels  in  this  large  catalogue  put  forth 
by  the  American  Library  Association  has  the  names  of  five 
only  out  of  the  twenty-eight  writers  of  fiction  heretofore 
pronounced  objectionable,  and  names  a  select  few  only  of 
the  books  of  these  five. 

As  for  the  later  issues  of  the  press,  and  especially  the 
new  novels,  let  him  skim  them  for  himself,  unless  in  cases 
where  trustworthy  critical  judgments  are  found  in  jour- 
nals. Eunning  through  a  book  to  test  its  st3'le  and  moral 
drift  is  no  difficult  task  for  the  practiced  eye. 

Let  us  suppose  that  you  are  cursorily  perusing  a  novel 
which  has  made  a  great  sensation,  and  you  come  upon  the 
following  sentence:  "Eighteen  millions  of  years  would 
level  all  in  one  huge,  common,  shapeless  ruin.  Perish  the 
microcosm  in  the  limitless  macrocosm!  and  sink  this 
feeble  earthly  segregate  in  the  boundless  rushing  choral 
aggregation !"  This  is  in  Augusta  J.  Evans  Wilson's  story 
"Macaria",  and  many  equally  extraordinary  examples  of 
''prose  run  mad"  are  found  in  the  novels  of  this  once  noted 
writer.  What  kind  of  a  model  is  that  to  form  the  style  of 
the  youthful  neophyte,  to  whom  one  book  is  as  good  as  an- 
other, since  it  was  found  on  the  shelves  of  the  public  li- 
brary? 

I  am  not  insisting  that  all  books  admitted  should  be 
models  of  style;  even  a  purist  must  admit  that  one  of  the 
greatest  charms  of  literature  is  its  infinite  variety.  But 
when  book  after  book  is  filled  with  such  specimens  of  lit- 
erary lunacy  as  this,  one  is  tempted  to  believe  that  Homer 
and  Shakespeare,  to  say  nothing  of  Thackeray  and  Haw- 
thorne, have  lived  in  vain. 

Never  fear  criticism  of  those  who  find  fault  with  the  ab- 
sence from  your  library  of  books  that  you  know  to  be  near- 
ly worthless;  their  absence  will  be  a  silent  but  eloquent 
protest  against  them,  sure  to  be  vindicated  by  the  utter  ob- 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  27 

livion  into  which  they  will  fall.  Mauy  a  flaming  reputa- 
tion has  been  extinguished  after  dazzling  callow  admirers 
for  six  months,  or  even  less.  Do  not  dread  the  empty  sar- 
casm, that  may  grow  out  of  the  exclusion  of  freshly  print- 
ed trash,  that  your  library  is  a  '"back  number."  To  some 
poor  souls  every  thing  that  is  great  and  good  in  the  world's 
literature  is  a  ''back  number";  and  the  Bible  itself,  with 
its  immortal  poetry  and  sublimity,  is  the  oldest  back  num- 
ber of  all.  It  is  no  part  of  your  business  as  a  librarian  to 
cater  to  the  tastes  of  those  who  act  as  if  the  reading  of  end- 
less novels  of  sensation  were  the  chief  end  of  man.  As 
one  fed  on  highly  spiced  viands  and  stimulating  drinks 
surely  loses  the  appetite  for  wholesome  and  nourishing 
food,  so  one  who  reads  only  exciting  and  highly  wrought 
fictions  loses  the  taste  for  the  master-pieces  of  prose  and 
poetry. 

Let  not  the  fear  of  making  many  mistakes  be  a  bug-bear 
in  your  path.  If  you  are  told  that  your  library  is  too  ex- 
elusive,  reply  that  it  has  not  means  enough  to  buy  all  the 
good  books  that  are  wanted,  and  cannot  afford  to  spend 
money  on  bad  or  even  on  doubtful  ones.  If  you  have  ex- 
cluded any  highly-sought-for  book  on  insufficient  evidence, 
never  fail  to  revise  the  Judgment.  All  that  can  be  expect- 
ed of  any  library  is  approximately  just  and  wise  selection, 
having  regard  to  merit,  interest,  and  moral  tone,  more 
than  to  novelty  or  popularity. 

In  the  matter  of  choice,  individual  opinions  are  of  small 
value.  Never  buy  a  book  simply  because  some  reader  ex- 
tols it  as  very  fine,  or  "splendid,"  or  "perfectly  lovely." 
Sucli  praises  are  commonly  to  be  distrusted  in  direct  pro- 
])r)rti()ri  io  their  extravagance. 

A  gf)od  lesson  to  liljraries  is  furnislied  in  the  experience 
of  the  Clevolanfl  (Ohio)  Ptiblif  Li})rary.  Tn  1S78,  out  of 
1G,000  volumes  in  that   library,  no  less  than  G,000  wore 


28  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

novels.  Tho  tjovcniinji;  board,  on  the  plea  oi'  giving  people 
what  tncy  wanted,  bought  nearly  all  new  books  of  fiction, 
and  went  so  far,  even,  as  to  buy  of  Pinkerton's  Detective 
stories,  fifteen  copies  each,  fifteen  of  all  Mrs.  Southworth's 
novels,  etc.  But  a  change  took  place  in  the  board,  and  the 
librarian  was  permitted  to  stop  the  growing  flood  of  worth- 
less fiction,  and  as  fast  as  the  books  were  w^oru  out,  they 
were  replaced  by  useful  reading.  It  resulted  that  four 
years  later,  with.  40,000  volumes  in  the  library,  only  7,000 
w^ere  novels,  or  less  than  one-fifth,  instead  of  more  than 
one-third  of  the  whole  collection,  as  formerly.  In  the 
same  time,  the  percentage  of  fiction  drawn  out  was  reduced 
from  09  per  cent,  of  the  aggregate  books  read,  to  50  per 
cent. 

Libraries  are  always  complaining  that  they  cannot  buy 
many  valuable  books  from  lack  of  funds.  Yet  some  of 
them  buy  a  great  many  that  are  valueless  in  spite  of  this 
lack.  Can  any  thing  be  conceived  more  valueless  than  a 
set  of  Sylvanus  Cobb's  novels,  reprinted  to  the  number  of 
thirty-five  to  forty,  from  the  New  York  Ledger?  Yet 
these  have  been  bought  for  scores  of  libraries,  which  could 
not  afford  the  latest  books  in  science  and  art,  or  biography, 
history,  or  travel.  There  are  libraries  in  which  the  latest 
books  on  electricity,  or  sewerage,  or  sanitary  plumbing, 
might  have  saved  many  lives,  but  which  must  go  without 
them,  because  the  money  has  been  squandered  on  vapid 
and  pernicious  literature. 

In  almost  every  library,  while  some  branches  of  knowl- 
edge are  fairly  represented,  others  are  not  represented  at 
all.  Nearly  all  present  glaring  deficiencies,  and  these  are 
often  caused  by  want  of  systematic  plan  in  building  up  the 
collection.  Boards  of  managers  are  frequently  changed, 
and  the  policy  of  the  library  with  them.  All  the  more  im- 
portant is  it  that  the  librarian  should  be  so  well  equipped 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  29 

with  a  definite  aim,  and  with  knowledge  and  skill  com- 
petent to  urge  that  aim  consistently,  as  to  preserve  some 
unity  of  plan. 

I  need  not  add  that  a  librarian  should  be  always  wide 
awake  to  the  needs  of  his  library  in  every  direction.  It 
should  be  taken  for  granted  that  its  general  aim  is  to  in- 
clude the  best  books  in  the  whole  range  of  human  knowl- 
edge. "With  the  vast  area  of  book  production  before  him, 
he  should  strengthen  every  year  some  department,  taking 
them  in  order  of  importance. 

Some  scholarly  writers  tell  us  that  very  few  books  are 
essential  to  a  good  education.  James  Russell  Lowell 
named  five,  which  in  his  view  embraced  all  the  essentials; 
namely.  Homer,  Dante,  Shakespeare,  Cervantes,  and 
Goethe's  Faust.  Prof.  Charles  E.  Xorton  of  Harvard  re- 
marked that  this  list  might  even  be  abridged  so  as  to  cm- 
brace  only  Homer,  Dante  and  Shakespeare.  I  can  only 
regard  such  exclusiveness  as  misleading,  though  conceding 
the  many-sidedness  of  these  great  writers.  To  extend  the 
list  is  the  function  of  all  public  libraries,  as  well  as  of  most 
of  the  private  ones.  Xext  after  the  really  essential  books, 
that  library  will  be  doing  its  public  good  service  wliich  ac- 
quires all  the  important  works  that  record  the  history  of 
man.  Tliis  will  include  biography,  travels  and  voyages, 
science,  and  much  besides,  as  well  as  history. 

Special  pains  should  be  taken  in  every  library  to  have 
every  thing  produced  in  its  own  town,  county,  and  State. 
Xot  only  books,  but  all  pamphlets,  periodicals,  news])a]iors. 
and  even  broadsides  or  circulars,  should  be  sought  for  and 
stored  up  as  memorials  of  the  present  age,  tending  in  large 
part  rapidly  to  disappear. 

In  selecting  editions  of  standard  authors,  one  should 
always  discriminate,  so  as  to  secure  for  the  library,  if  not 
the  best,  at  least  good,  clear  type,  sound,  thick  paper,  and 


30  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

durable  binding.  Cheap  and  poor  editions  wear  out  quick- 
ly, and  have  to  be  thrown  away  for  better  ones,  which  wise 
economy  should  have  selected  in  the  first  place.  For  ex- 
ample, a  widely  circulated  edition  of  Scott's  novels,  found 
in  most  libraries,  has  the  type  so  worn  and  battered  by  the 
many  large  editions  printed  from  the  plates,  that  many 
letters  and  words  arc  wanting,  thus  spoiling  not  only  the 
pleasure  but  abridging  the  profit  of  the  reader  in  perusing 
the  novels.  The  same  is  true  of  one  edition  of  Cooper. 
Then  there  are  many  cheap  reprints  of  English  novels  in 
the  Seaside  and  other  libraries  which  abound  in  typogra- 
phical errors.  A  close  examination  of  a  cheap  edition  of 
a  leading  English  novelist's  works  revealed  more  than 
3,000  tA^pographical  errors  in  the  one  set  of  books!  It 
would  be  unpardonable  carelessness  to  buy  such  books  for 
general  reading  because  they  are  cheap. 

Librarians  should  avoid  what  are  known  as  subscription 
books,  as  a  rule,  though  some  valid  exceptions  exist.  Most 
of  such  books  are  profusely  illustrated  and  in  gaudy  bind- 
ings, gotten  np  to  dazzle  the  eye.  If  works  of  merit,  it  is 
better  to  wait  for  them,  than  to  subscribe  for  an  unfinished 
work,  which  perhaps  may  never  reach  completion, 

A  librarian  or  book  collector  should  be  ever  observant  of 
what  he  may  find  to  enrich  his  collection.  When  in  a 
book-store,  or  a  private  or  public  library,  he  should  make 
notes  of  such  works  seen  as  are  new  to  him,  with  any  char- 
acteristics which  their  custodian  may  remark  upon.  Such 
jjersonal  examination  is  more  informing  than  any  cata- 
logue. 

I  think  each  public  library  should  possess,  besides 
a  complete  set  of  the  English  translations  of  the  Greek  and 
Latin  classics,  a  full  set  of  the  originals,  for  the  benefit  of 
scholarly  readers.  These  classic  texts  can  be  had  complete 
in  modern  editions  for  a  very  moderate  price. 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.  31 

How  far  duplicate  volumes  should  be  bought  should  de- 
pend upon  demand,  and  the  views  of  the  purchasing 
powers.  There  is  a  real  need  of  more  than  one  copy  of 
almost  every  standard  work,  else  it  will  be  perpetually  out, 
giving  occasion  for  numerous  complaints  from  those  who 
use  the  library.  It  would  be  a  good  rule  to  keep  one  copy 
always  in,  and  at  the  service  of  readers,  of  every  leading 
history,  standard  poet,  or  popular  novel.  Then  the  dupli- 
cate copies  for  circulation  may  be  one  or  more,  as  experi- 
ence and  ability  to  provide  may  determine.  A  library 
which  caters  to  the  novel-reading  habit  as  extensively  as 
the  Xew  York  Mercantile  (a  subscription  library)  has  to 
buy  fifty  to  one  hundred  copies  of  "Trilby,"  for  example, 
to  keep  up  with  tlie  demand,  l^o  such  obligation  exists 
for  the  free  public  libraries.  They,  however,  often  buy 
half  a  dozen  to  a  dozen  copies  of  a  very  popular  story,  when 
new,  and  sell  them  out  after  the  demand  has  slackened  or 
died  away. 

The  methods  of  selection  and  purchase  in  public  libra- 
ries are  very  various.  In  the  Worcester  (Mass.)  Public 
Library,  the  librarian  makes  a  list  of  desiderata,  has  it 
manifolded,  and  sends  a  copy  to  each  of  the  thirteen  mem- 
bers of  the  Board  of  directors.  This  list  is  reported  on  by 
the  members  at  the  next  monthly  meeting  of  the  Board, 
and  generally,  in  the  main,  approved.  Novels  and  stories 
are  not  bought  until  time  has  shown  of  what  value  they 
may  be.  The  aim  is  mainly  educational  at  tlie  Worcester 
library,  very  special  pains  being  taken  to  aid  all  the  pupils 
and  teachers  in  the  public  schools,  by  careful  selection,  and 
providing  duplicate  or  more  copies  of  important  works. 

In  the  Public  Library  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  there  is  ap- 
yiorTitcd  out  of  the  governing  Board  a  book-commillee  of 
three.  To  one  of  these  are  referred  English  books  wanted, 
to  another  French,  and  to  the  third  fJernian  books.  Tliis 
sub-committee  approves  or  amends  the  Librarian's  recom- 


32  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

mendations,  at  its  discretion;  but  expensive  works  are  re- 
ferred to  the  whole  board  for  determination. 

In  the  New  York  Mercantile  Library,  which  must  keep 
continually  up  to  date  in  its  supply  of  new  books,  the  an- 
nouncements in  all  the  morning  papers  are  daily  scanned, 
and  books  just  out  secured  by  immediate  order.  Many 
publishers  send  in  books  on  approval,  which  are  frequently 
bought.  An  agent  in  London  is  required  to  send  on  the 
day  of  publication  all  new  books  on  certain  subjects. 

The  library  boards  of  management  meet  weekly  in  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  but  monthly  in  most  country  libra- 
ries. The  selection  of  books  made  by  committees  intro- 
duces often  an  element  of  chance,  not  quite  favorable  to 
the  unity  of  plan  in  developing  the  resources  of  the  library. 
But  with  a  librarian  of  large  information,  discretion,  and 
skill,  there  need  seldom  be  any  difficulty  in  securing  ap- 
proval of  his  selections,  or  of  most  of  them.  In  some  libra- 
ries the  librarian  is  authorized  to  buy  at  discretion  addi- 
tions of  books  in  certain  lines,  to  be  reported  at  the  next 
meeting  of  the  board;  and  to  fill  up  all  deficiencies  in 
periodicals  that  are  taken.  This  is  an  important  conces- 
sion to  his  judgment,  made  in  the  interest  of  completeness 
in  the  library,  saving  a  delay  of  days  and  sometimes  weeks 
in  waiting  for  the  board  of  directors. 

All  orders  sent  out  for  accessions  should  previously 
be  compared  with  the  alphabeted  order-card  list,  as  well 
as  with  the  general  catalogue  of  the  library,  to  avoid  dupli- 
cation. After  this  the  titles  are  to  be  incorporated  in  the 
alphabet  of  all  outstanding  orders,  to  be  withdrawn  only 
on  receipt  of  the  books. 

The  library  should  invite  suggestions  from  all  frequent- 
ing it,  of  books  recommended  and  not  found  in  the  collec- 
tion. A  blank  record-book  for  this  purpose,  or  an  equiva- 
lent in  order-cards,  should  be  always  kept  on  the  counter 
of  the  library. 


CHAPTER  2. 

Book   Buying. 

The  buying  of  books  is  to  some  men  a  pastime;  to 
others  it  is  a  passion;  but  to  the  librarian  and  the  intelli- 
gent book  collector  it  is  both  a  business  and  a  pleasure. 
The  man  who  is  endowed  with  a  zeal  for  knowledge  is  eager 
to  be  continually  adding  to  the  stores  which  will  enable 
him  to  acquire  and  to  dispense  that  knowledge.  Hence 
the  perusal  of  catalogues  is  to  him  an  ever  fresh  and  fasci- 
nating pursuit.  However  hampered  he  may  be  by  the  lack 
of  funds,  the  zest  of  being  continually  in  quest  of  some 
coveted  volumes  gives  him  an  interest  in  every  sale  cata- 
logue, whether  of  bookseller  or  of  auctioneer.  He  is  led 
on  by  the  perennial  hope  that  he  may  find  one  or  more  of 
the  long-wished  for  and  waited-for  desiderata  in  the  thin 
pamphlet  whose  solid  columns  bristle  with  book-titles  in 
every  variety  of  abbreviation  and  arrangement.  It  is  a 
good  plan,  if  one  can  possibly  command  the  time,  to  read 
every  catalogue  of  the  book  auctions,  and  of  the  second- 
hand book  dealers,  which  comes  to  hand.  You  will  thus 
find  a  world  of  books  chronicled  and  offered  which  you  do 
not  want,  because  you  have  got  them  already:  you  will 
find  many,  also,  which  you  want,  but  which  you  know  you 
cannot  have;  and  you  may  find  some  of  the  very  volumes 
which  you  have  sought  through  many  years  in  vain.  In 
any  case,  you  will  have  acquired  valuable  information — 
whether  you  acquire  any  books  or  not;  since  there  is  hardly 
a  priced  catalogue,  of  any  considerable  extent,  from  which 
you  cannot  reap  knowledge  of  some  kind— knowledge  of 
editions,  knowledge  of  prices,  and  knowledge  of  the  com- 

(33) 


34  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

parative  scarcity  or  full  supply  of  many  books,  with  a 
glimpse  of  titles  which  you  may  never  liave  met  before. 
The  value  of  the  study  of  catalogues  as  au  education  in 
bibliography  can  never  be  over-estimated. 

The  large  number  of  active  and  discriminating  book- 
buyers  from  America  has  for  years  past  awakened  the  in- 
terest and  jealousy  of  collectors  abroad,  where  it  has  very 
largely  enhanced  the  price  of  all  first-class  editions,  and 
rare  works. 

No  longer,  as  in  the  early  days  of  Dibdin  and  Heber,  is 
the  competition  for  the  curiosities  of  old  English  literature 
confined  to  a  half-score  of  native  amateurs.  True,  we  have 
no  such  omnivorous  gatherers  of  literary  rubbish  as  that 
magnificent  helJuo  lihrorum,  Eichard  Heber,  who  amassed 
what  was  claimed  to  be  the  largest  collection  of  books  ever 
formed  by  a  single  individual.  Endowed  with  a  princely 
fortune,  and  an  undying  passion  for  the  possession  of 
books,  he  spent  nearly  a  million  dollars  in  their  acquisi- 
tion. His  library,  variously  stated  at  from  105,000  vol- 
umes (by  Dr.  Dibdin)  to  146,000  volumes  (by  Dr.  Allibone) 
was  brought  to  the  hammer  in  1834.  The  catalogue  filled 
13  octavo  volumes,  and  the  sale  occupied  216  days.  The 
insatiable  owner  (who  was  a  brother  of  Eeginald  Heber, 
Bishop  of  Calcutta)  died  while  still  collecting,  at  the  age 
of  sixty,  leaving  his  enormous  library,  which  no  single 
house  of  ordinary  size  could  hold,  scattered  in  half  a  dozen 
mansions  in  London,  Oxford,  Paris,  Antwerp,  Brussels  and 
Ghent. 

Yet  the  ovmer  of  this  vast  mass  of  mingled  nonsense  and 
erudition,  this  library  of  the  curiosities  of  literature,  was 
as  generous  in  imparting  as  in  acquiring  his  literary  treas- 
ures. No  English  scholar  but  was  freely  welcome  to  the 
loan  of  his  volumes;  and  his  own  taste  and  critical  knowl- 
edge are  said  to  have  been  of  the  first  order. 


BOOK  BUYIXG.  35 

From  this,  probably  the  most  extensive  private  library 
ever  gathered,  let  iis  turn  to  the  largest  single  purchase,  in 
number  of  volumes,  made  at  one  time  for  a  public  library. 
"When  Dr.  J.  G.  Cogswell  went  abroad  in  1848,  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  the  Astor  Library,  he  took  vrith  him  cre- 
dentials for  the  expenditure  of  $100,000 ;  and;  what  was  of 
even  greater  importance,  a  thoroughly  digested  catalogue 
of  desiderata,  embracing  the  most  important  books  in  every 
department  of  literature  and  science.  Xo  such  oppor- 
tunity of  buying  the  fmest  books  at  the  lowest  prices  is 
likely  ever  to  occur  again,  as  the  fortuitous  concourse  of 
events  brought  to  Dr.  Cogswell.  It  was  the  year  of  revolu- 
tions— the  year  when  the  thrones  were  tottering  or  falling 
all  over  Europe,  when  the  wealthy  and  privileged  classes 
were  trembling  for  their  possessions,  and  anxious  to  turn 
them  into  ready  money.  In  every  time  of  panic,  political 
or  financial,  the  prices  of  books,  as  well  as  of  all  articles  of 
luxury,  are  the  first  to  fall.  Many  of  the  choicest  collec- 
tions came  to  the  hammer;  multitudes  were  eager  to  sell — 
but  there  were  few  buyers  except  the  book  merchants,  who 
were  all  ready  to  sell  again.  The  result  was  that  some  80,- 
000  volumes  were  gathered  for  the  Astor  Library,  embrac- 
ing a  very  large  share  of  the  best  editions  and  the  most  ex- 
pensive works,  with  many  books  strictly  denominated  rare, 
and  nearly  all  bound  in  superior  style,  at  an  average  cost 
of  about  $1.40  per  volume.  This  extraordinary  good  for- 
tune enabled  the  Astor  Library  to  be  opened  on  a  very 
small  endowment,  more  splendidly  equipped  for  a  library 
of  reference  than  any  new  institution  could  be  today  with 
four  or  five  times  the  money. 

Compared  with  such  opportunities  as  these,  you  may 
consider  the  experiences  of  the  little  libraries,  and  the  nar- 
row means  of  recruitment  generally  found,  as  very  literally 
the  day  of  small  things.     But  a  wise  apportionment  of 


36  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

small  funds,  combined  willi  a  good  knowledge  of  the  com- 
mercial value  of  books,  and  perpetual  vigilance  in  using  op- 
portunities, will  go  very  far  toward  enlarging  any  collec- 
tion in  the  most  desiral)le  directions. 

Compare  for  a  moment  with  the  results  stated  of  the  As- 
tor  Library's  early  purchases,  the  average  prices  paid  by 
British  Libraries  for  books  purchased  from  1826  to  1854, 
as  published  in  a  parliamentary  return.  The  average  cost 
per  volume  varied  from  16s  or  about  $4  a  volume,  for  the 
University  Library  of  Edinburg,  to  4s  Gd,  or  $1.10  a  vol- 
ume for  the  ]\Ianchester  Free  Library.  The  latter,  how- 
ever, were  chiefly  popular  new  books,  published  at  low 
prices,  while  the  former  included  many  costly  old  works, 
law  books,  etc.  The  British  Museum  Library's  average 
■was  8s  5d  or  about  $2.00  per  volume.  Those  figures  re- 
present cloth  binding,  while  the  Astor's  purchases  were 
mostly  in  permanent  leather  bindings. 

Averages  are  very  uncertain  standards  of  comparison,  as 
a  single  book  rarity  often  costs  more  than  a  hundred  vol- 
umes of  the  new  books  of  the  day;  but  in  a  library  filled 
with  the  best  editions  of  classical  and  scientific  works,  and 
reference  books,  I  presume  that  two  dollars  a  volume  is  not 
too  high  an  estimate  of  average  cost,  in  these  days  repre- 
sented by  the  last  twenty  years.  For  a  circulating  library, 
on  the  other  hand,  composed  chiefly  of  what  the  public 
most  seek  to  read,  half  that  average  would  perhaps  express 
the  full  commercial  value  of  the  collection.  Of  its  intrin- 
sic value  I  will  not  here  pause  to  speak. 

There  are  many  methods  of  book  buying,  of  which  we 
may  indicate  the  principal  as  follows: 

1.  By  direct  orders  from  book  dealers. 

2.  By  competition  on  select  lists  of  wants. 

3.  By  order  from  priced  catalogues. 

4.  By  purchase  at  auction  sales. 


BOOK  BUTIXG.  37 

5.  By  personal  research  among  book  stocks. 

6.  By  lists  and  samples  of  books  sent  on  approval. 
Each  of  these  methods  has  its  advantages — and,  I  may 

add,  its  disadvantages  likewise.  The  collector  who  com- 
bines them,  as  opportunity  presents,  is  most  likely  to  make 
his  funds  go  the  farthest,  and  to  enrich  his  collection  the 
most.  Direct  orders  for  purchase  are  necessary  for  most 
new  books  wanted,  except  in  the  case  of  the  one  govern- 
ment library,  which  in  most  countries,  receives  them 
under  copyright  provision.  An  advantageous  arrange- 
ment can  usually  be  made  with  one  or  more  book-dealers, 
lo  supply  all  new  books  at  a  fairly  liberal  discount  from  re- 
tail prices.  And  it  is  wise  management  to  distribute  pur- 
chases where  good  terms  are  made,  as  thereby  the  trade 
will  feel  an  interest  in  the  library,  and  a  mutuality  of  in- 
terest will  secure  more  opportunities  and  better  bargains. 

The  submission  of  lists  of  books  wanted,  to  houses  hav- 
ing large  stocks  or  good  facilities,  helps  to  make  funds  go 
as  far  as  possible  through  competition.  By  the  typewriter 
such  lists  can  now  be  manifolded  much  more  cheaply  than 
they  can  be  written  or  printed. 

Selection  from  priced  catalogues  presents  a  constantly 
recurring  opportunity  of  buying  volumes  of  the  greatest 
consequence,  to  fill  gaps  in  any  collection,  and  often  at  sur- 
prisingly low  prices.  Much  as  book  values  have  been  en- 
hanced of  late  years,  there  arc  yet  catalogues  issued  by 
American,  English  and  continental  dealers  which  quote 
books  both  of  the  standard  and  secondary  class  at  very 
cheap  rates.  Even  now  English  books  are  sold  by  the 
Muflie  and  the  AV.  TI.  Smith  lending  libraries  in  London, 
after  a  very  few  months,  at  one-half  to  one-fourth  their 
original  publishing  price.  These  must  usually  be  rebound, 
but    by   instructing   your   agent   to   select   copies   which 


38  A    HOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

are  clean  within,  all  the  soil  of  the  edges  will  disappear 
with  the  light  trimming  of  the  binder. 

Purchase  at  auction  supplies  a  means  of  recruiting  libra- 
ries both  public  and  private  with  many  rare  works,  and 
with  the  best  editions  of  the  standard  authors,  often  finely 
bound.  The  choice  private  libraries  of  the  country,  as  well 
as  the  poor  ones,  tend  to  pour  themselves  sooner  or  later 
into  public  auctions.  The  collectors  of  books,  whose  early 
avidity  to  amass  libraries  of  fine  editions  was  phenomenal, 
rarely  persist  in  cultivating  the  passion  through  life. 
Sometimes  they  are  overtaken  by  misfortune — sometimes 
by  indifference — the  bibliomania  not  being  a  perennial  in- 
spiration, but  often  an  acute  and  fiery  attack,  which  in  a 
few  years  burns  out.  Even  if  the  library  gathered  with  so 
much  money  and  pains  descends  to  the  heirs  of  the  col- 
lector, the  passion  for  books  is  very  seldom  an  inherited 
one.  Thus  the  public  libraries  are  constantly  recruited  by 
the  opportunities  of  selection  furnished  by  the  forced  sale 
of  the  private  ones.  Here,  public  competition  frequently 
runs  up  the  price  of  certain  books  to  an  exorbitant  degree, 
while  those  not  wanted  often  sell  for  the  merest  trifle. 
One  should  have  a  pretty  clear  idea  of  the  approximate 
commercial  value  of  books,  before  competing  for  them  at 
public  sale.  He  may,  however,  if  well  persuaded  in  his 
own  mind  as  to  the  importance  or  the  relative  unimport- 
ance to  his  o^Ti  collection  of  any  work,  regulate  his  bids  by 
that  standard,  regardless  of  commercial  value,  except  as  a 
limit  beyond  which  he  will  not  go.  Few  librarians  can 
personally  attend  auction  sales — nor  is  it  needful,  when 
limits  can  so  easilj^  be  set  to  orders.  It  is  never  safe  to 
send  an  unlimited  bid,  as  there  may  be  others  without 
limit,  in  which  case  the  book  is  commonly  awarded  to  the 
most  remote  bidder. 

There  are  many  curiosities  of  the  auction  room,  one  of 


BOOK  BUTIXG.  39 

them  being  the  frequent  re-appearance  of  book  rarities 
which  have  been  through  several  auctions,  sometimes  at 
intervals  of  years,  keenly  competed  for  by  rival  biblio- 
philes, and  carried  off  in  triumph  by  some  ardent  collector, 
who  little  thought  at  the  time  how  soon  his  own  collection 
would  come  to  the  hammer. 

There  are  also  many  curiosities  of  compilation  in  auction 
catalogues.  Xot  to  name  errors  of  commission,  like  giv- 
ing the  authorship  of  books  to  the  wrong  name,  and  errors 
of  omission,  like  giving  no  authors  name  at  all,  some 
catalogues  are  thickly  strewn  with  the  epithets  rare — and 
very  rare,  when  the  books  are  sufficiently  common  in  one 
or  the  other  market.  Do  not  be  misled  by  these  surface 
indications.  Books  are  often  attributed  in  catalogues  to 
their  editor  or  translator,  and  the  unwary  buyer  may  thug 
find  himself  saddled  with  a  duplicate  already  in  his  own 
collection.  There  has  been  much  improvement  in  late 
years  in  the  care  wath  which  auction  catalogues  are  edited, 
and  no  important  collection  at  least  is  offered,  without 
having  first  passed  through  the  hands  of  an  expert,  famil- 
iar with  bibliography.  It  is  the  minor  book  sales  where 
the  catalogues  receive  no  careful  editing,  and  where  the 
dates  and  editions  are  frequently  omitted,  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  guard  against.  It  is  well  to  refrain  from  sending 
any  bids  out  of  such  lists,  because  they  furnish  no  certain 
identification  of  the  books,  and  if  all  w^ould  do  the  same, 
thus  diminishing  the  competition  and  the  profit  of  the 
auctioneer,  he  might  loarn  never  to  print  a  catalogue  with- 
out date,  place  of  publication,  and  full  name  of  author  of 
every  book  offered. 

Never  be  too  eager  to  acquire  an  auction  book,  unless 
you  are  very  thoroughly  assured  tliat  it  is  one  of  the  kind 
truly  dosignatefl  rarissimufi.  An  eminent  and  thorouglily 
informed  book  collector,  with  an  experience  of  forty  years 


40  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

devoted  to  book  auctions  and  book  catalogues,  assured  me 
that  it  was  his  experience  that  almost  every  book  would 
turn  up  on  the  average  about  every  seven  years.  Of  course 
there  are  notable  exceptions — and  especially  among  the 
class  of  books  known  as  incunabula,  (or  cradle-books 
printed  in  the  infancy  of  printing) and  of  early  Americana: 
but  it  is  not  these  which  the  majority  of  libraries  are 
most  in  search  of.  Eemember  always,  if  you  lose  a  coveted 
volume,  that  there  will  be  another  chance — perhaps  many 
of  them.  The  private  collector,  who  carries  it  oif  against 
you,  has  had  no  former  opportunity  to  get  the  rare  volume, 
and  may  never  have  another.  He  is  therefore  justified  in 
paying  what  is  to  ordinary  judgment  an  extraordinary 
price.  Individual  collectors  die,  but  public  libraries  are 
immortal. 

If  you  become  thoroughly  conversant  with  priced  cata- 
logues, you  will  make  fewer  mistakes  than  most  private 
buyers.  Xot  only  catalogues  of  notable  collections,  with 
the  prices  obtained  at  auction,  but  the  large  and  very 
copious  catalogues  of  such  London  book-dealers  as  Qua- 
ritch  and  Sotheran,  are  accessible  in  the  great  city  libra- 
ries. These  are  of  the  highest  use  in  suggesting  the  proxi- 
mate prices  at  which  important  books  have  been  or  may 
be  acquired.  Since  1895,  annual  volumes  entitled  "Ameri- 
can Book  Prices  Current"  have  been  issued,  giving  the 
figures  at  which  books  have  been  sold  at  all  the  principal 
auction  sales  of  the  year. 

There  is  no  word  so  much  abused  as  the  term  rare,  when 
applied  to  books.  Librarians  know  well  the  unsophisti- 
cated citizen  who  wants  to  sell  at  a  high  price  a  "rare" 
volume  of  divinity  "a  hundred  and  fifty  years  old"  (worth 
possibly  twenty-five  cents  to  half  a  dollar,)  and  the  persist- 
ent woman  who  has  the  rarest  old  bible  in  the  country, 
which  she  values  anywhere  from  fifty  to  five  hundred  dol- 


BOOK  BUYING.  41 

lars,  and  which  turns  out  on  inspection  to  be  an  imperfect 
copy  of  one  of  Barker's  multitudinous  editions  of  1613  to 
'18,  which  may  be  picked  up  at  five  to  eight  shillings  in  any 
old  London  book-shop.  The  confident  assertions  so  often 
paraded,  even  in  catalogues,  "only  three  copies  known," 
and  the  like,  are  to  be  received  with  absolute  incred- 
ulity, and  the  claims  of  ignorant  owners  of  books  who 
fancy  that  their  little  pet  goose  is  a  fine  swan,  because  they 
never  saw  another,  are  as  ridiculous  as  the  laudation  be- 
stowed by  a  sapient  collector  upon  two  of  his  most  valued 
nuggets.  "This,  sir,  is  unique,  but  not  so  unique  as  the 
other." 

Buying  books  by  actual  inspection  at  the  book-shops  is 
even  more  fascinating  employment  than  buying  them 
through  catalogues.  You  thus  come  upon  the  most  unex- 
pected volumes  unawares.  You  open  the  covers,  scan  the 
title-pages,  get  a  glimpse  of  the  plates,  and  flit  from  book 
to  book,  like  a  bee  gathering  honey  for  its  hive.  It  is  a 
good  way  to  recruit  your  library  economically,  to  run 
through  the  stock  of  a  book-dealer  systematically — neg- 
lecting no  shelf,  but  selecting  throughout  the  whole 
stock,  and  laying  aside  what  you  think  you  may  want. 
When  this  is  done,  you  will  liave  quite  a  pile  of  literature 
upon  wliich  to  negotiate  witli  the  proprietor.  It  is  cheaper 
to  buy  thus  at  wholesale  than  by  piecemeal,  because  the 
bookseller  will  make  you  a  larger  discount  on  a  round  lot 
of  which  you  relieve  his  sliclves. 

Another  method  of  recruiting  your  library  is  the  exami- 
nation of  books  "on  approval."  Most  book-dealers  will  be 
60  obliging  as  to  send  in  parcels  of  books  for  the  inspection 
of  a  librarian  or  collector,  who  can  ilius  examine  Ihcin 
leisurely  and  with  more  thoroughness  than  in  a  l)ook  store, 
without  leaving  his  business. 

All  books,  by  whatever  course  they  may  be  purchased, 


42  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

are  indispensably  to  be  collated  before  they  are  accepted 
and  paid  for.  Neglect  of  this  will  fill  any  library  with  im- 
perfections, since  second-hand  books  are  liable  to  have 
missing  leaves,  or  plates,  or  maps,  while  new  books  may 
lack  signatures  or  plates,  or  be  wrongly  bound  together. 
In  the  case  of  new  books,  or  books  still  in  print,  the  pub- 
lisher is  bound  to  make  good  an  imperfection. 

In  old  books,  this  is  usually  impossible,  and  the  only 
remedy  is  to  return  the  imperfect  books  upon  the  seller's 
hands,  unless  there  may  be  a  reason,  such  as  the  rarity  of 
the  volume,  or  its  comparative  little  cost,  or  the  trifling 
nature  of  the  imperfection,  for  retaining  it.  The  equi- 
ties in  these  cases  are  in  favor  of  the  buyer,  who  is  pre- 
sumed to  have  purchased  a  perfect  copy.  But  the  right  of 
reclamation  must  be  exercised  promptly,  or  it  may  be  for- 
feited by  lapse  of  time.  If  an  imperfection  in  any  book 
you  order  is  noted  in  the  catalogue,  it  is  not  subject  to  re- 
turn. I  have  ever  found  the  book  auctioneers  most  cour- 
teous and  considerate  in  their  dealings — and  the  same  can 
be  said  of  the  book  trade  generally,  among  whom  instances 
of  liberality  to  libraries  are  by  no  means  rare. 

One  of  the  choicest  pleasures  of  the  book  collector, 
whether  private  student  or  librarian,  is  to  visit  the  second- 
hand book-shops  of  any  city,  and  examine  the  stock  with 
care.  While  he  may  find  but  few  notable  treasures  in  one 
collection,  a  search  through  several  shops  will  be  almost 
sure  to  reward  him.  Here  are  found  many  of  the  out- 
pourings of  the  private  libraries,  formed  by  specialists  or 
amateurs,  and  either  purchased  by  the  second-hand  dealer 
en  Hoc,  or  bid  off  by  him  at  some  auction  sale.  Even  rare 
books  are  picked  up  in  this  way,  no  copies  of  which  can  be 
had  by  order,  because  long  since  ''out  of  print."  The 
stock  in  these  shops  is  constantly  changing,  thus  adding  a 
piquant  and  sometimes  exciting  element   to   the   book- 


BOOK  BUYING.  43 

hunter,  who  is  wise  in  proportion  as  he  seizes  quickly  upon 
all  opportunities  of  new  "finds"  by  frequent  visits.  To 
mourn  over  a  lost  chance  in  rare  books  is  often  more  griev- 
ous to  the  zealous  collector,  than  to  lose  a  large  share  out 
of  his  fortune;  while  to  exult  over  a  literary  nugget  long 
sought  and  at  length  found  is  a  pleasure  to  which  few 
others  can  be  compared. 

Of  the  many  houquinistes  whose  open-air  shops  line  the 
quays  of  Paris  along  the  Seine,  numbering  once  as  many 
as  a  hundred  and  fifty  dealers  in  second-hand  books,  I  have 
no  room  to  treat;  books  have  been  written  about  them, 
and  the  liftcratevrs  of  France,  of  Europe,  and  of  America 
have  profited  by  countless  bargains  in  their  learned  wares. 
Nor  can  I  dwell  upon  the  literary  wealth  of  London  book- 
shops, dark  and  dingy,  but  ever  attractive  to  the  hungry 
scholar,  or  the  devotee  of  bibliomania. 

Of  the  many  second-hand  booksellers  (or  rather  sellers 
of  second-hand  books)  in  American  cities,  the  more  notable 
have  passed  from  the  stage  of  action  in  the  last  quarter  of 
a  century.  Old  William  Gowans,  a  quaint,  intelligent 
Scotchman,  in  shabby  clothes  and  a  strong  face  deeply 
marked  with  small  pox,  was  for  many  years  the  dean  of  this 
fraternity  in  Xew  York.  His  extensive  book-shop  in  Nas- 
sau street,  with  its  dark  cellar,  was  crowded  and  packed 
with  books  on  shelves,  on  stairways  and  on  the  floors, 
heaped  and  piled  in  enormous  masses,  amid  which  the 
visitor  could  hardly  find  room  to  move.  On  one  of  the 
j)iles  you  might  find  the  proprietor  seated — 

TJooks  to  tho  rif^ht  of  him, 
Books  to  the  left  of  him, 
Books  behind  him, 
Volleyed  and  tumbled, 

while  he  answered  inquiries  for  })ooks  from  clergymen  and 
Btudents,  or  grullly  bargained  with  a  boy  or  an  old  woman 


44  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

for  a  dilapidated  lot  of  old  books.  He  had  a  curious  quiz- 
zical way  with  strangers,  who  at  once  set  him  down  as  an 
oddity,  and  his  impatience  with  ignoramuses  and  bores 
gave  him  the  repute  of  crustiness,  which  was  redeemed  by 
suavity  enough  whenever  he  met  with  people  of  intelli- 
gence. 

Gowans  issued  scores  of  catalogues  of  his  stock,  in  which 
titles  were  often  illustrated  by  notes,  always  curious  and 
often  amusing,  credited  to  "Western  ]\Iemorabilia,"  a  work 
which  no  bookseller  or  man  of  letters  had  ever  heard  of, 
but  which  was  shrewdly  suspected  to  have  been  a  projected 
scrap-book  of  the  observations  and  opinions  of  William 
Gowans. 

There  was  another  eccentric  book-dealer's  shop  in  Nas- 
sau street  kept  by  one  John  Doyle,  who  aimed  so  high  in 
his  profession  as  to  post  over  his  door  a  sign  reading  "The 
]\Ioral  Centre  of  the  Intellectual  Universe."  This  estab- 
lishment was  notably  full  of  old  editions  of  books  of  Eng- 
lish history  and  controversial  theology. 

The  most  famous  second-hand  book-shop  in  Boston  was 
Burnham's,  whose  fore-name  was  Thomas  Oliver  Hazard 
Perry,  shortened  into  "Perry  Burnham"  by  his  familiars. 
He  was  a  little,  pale-faced,  wiry,  nervous  man,  with  pierc- 
ing black  eyes  and  very  brusque  manners.  In  old  and 
musty  books  he  lived  and  moved  and  had  his  being,  for 
more  than  a  generation.  He  exchanged  a  stuffy,  narrow 
shop  in  Cornhill  for  more  spacious  quarters  in  Washington 
street,  near  School  street,  where  he  bought  and  sold  books 
with  an  assiduous  devotion  to  business,  never  trusting  to 
others  what  he  could  do  himself.  He  was  proud  of  his 
collection  and  its  extent.  He  bought  books  and  pamph- 
lets at  auction  literally  by  the  cart-load,  every  thing  that 
nobody  else  wanted  being  bid  off  to  Burnham  at  an  insig- 
nificant price,  almost  nominal.     He  got  a  wide  reputation 


BOOK  BUYING.  45 

for  selling  cheaply,  but  he  always  knew  when  to  charge  a 
stiff  price  for  a  book,  and  to  stick  to  it.  Once  when  1  was 
pricing  a  lot  of  miscellaneous  books  picked  out  for  pur- 
chase, mostly  under  a  dollar  a  volume,  we  came  to  a  copy 
of  "The  Constitutions  of  the  Several  Independent  States 
of  America,"  1st  edition,  Philadelphia,  1781,  of  which  two 
hundred  copies  only  were  printed,  by  order  of  Congress. 
This  copy  was  in  the  original  boards,  uncut,  and  with  the 
autograph  of  Timothy  Pickering  on  the  title  page.  "If 
the  Congress  Library  wants  that  book,"  said  Mr.  Burnham, 
"it  will  have  to  pay  eight  dollars  for  it."  I  took  it,  well 
pleased  to  secure  what  years  of  search  had  failed  to  l)ring. 
The  next  year  my  satisfaction  was  enhanced  when  an  in- 
ferior copy  of  the  same  book  was  offered  at  twenty  dollars. 

Burnham  died  a  wealthy  man,  having  amassed  a  million 
dollars  in  trade  and  by  rise  in  real  estate,  as  he  owned  the 
land  on  which  the  Parker  House  stands  in  Boston. 

Among  Philadelphia  dealers  in  second-hand  books,  one 
John  Penington  was  recognized  as  most  intelligent  and 
honorable.  He  was  a  book-lover  and  a  scholar,  and  one 
instinctively  ranked  him  not  as  a  bookseller,  but  as  a  gen- 
tleman who  dealt  in  books.  On  his  shelves  one  always 
found  books  of  science  and  volumes  in  foreign  languages. 

Another  notable  dealer  was  John  Campbell,  a  jolly, 
hearty  Irish-American,  with  a  taste  for  good  books,  and  an 
antipathy  to  negroes,  as  keen  as  the  proverbial  hatred  of 
the  devil  for  holy  water.  Campbell  wrote  a  book  entitled 
"Negromania,"  published  in  1851,  in  wliich  his  creed  was 
set  forth  in  strong  language.  He  was  a  regular  bidder  at 
book  auctions,  where  his  burly  form  and  loud  voice  made 
liini  a  prominent  figure. 

Of  nota})le  auction  sales  of  books,  and  of  the  extravagant 
prices  obtained  for  certain  cflitions  l)y  ambitious  and  eager 
competition,  there  is  little  room  to  treat.     Tlie  oft-told 


46  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

story  of  the  Valdarfer  Boccaccio  of  1471,  carried  off  at  the 
Eoxburghe  sale  in  1812,  at  £2,2G0  from  Earl  Spencer  by 
the  Marquis  of  Blandford,  and  re-purchased  seven  years 
after  at  another  auction  for  £918,  has  been  far  surpassed  in 
modern  Inbliomania.  "The  sound  of  that  hammer,"  wrote 
the  melodramatic  Dibdin,  "echoed  through  Europe:"  but 
what  would  he  have  said  of  the  Mazarin  Bible  of  Guten- 
berg and  Fust  (1450-55)  sold  in  1897,  at  tlie  xVshburnham 
sale,  for  four  thousand  pounds,  or  of  the  Latin  Psalter  of 
Fust  and  Schoeffer,  2d  ed.  1459,  which  brought  £4,950  at 
the  Syston  Park  sale  in  1884?  This  last  sum  (about  twen- 
ty-four thousand  dollars)  is  the  largest  price  ever  yet  re- 
corded as  received  for  a  single  volume.  Among  books  of 
less  rarity,  though  always  eagerly  sought,  is  the  first  folio 
Shakespeare  of  1G23,  a  very  fine  and  perfect  copy  of  which 
brought  £716.2  at  Daniel's  sale  in  1864.  Copies  warranted 
perfect  have  since  been  sold  in  London  for  £415  to  £470. 
In  Xew  York,  a  perfect  but  not  "tall"  copy  brought  $4,- 
200  in  1891  at  auction.  Walton's  "Compleat  Angler," 
London,  1st  ed.  1653,  a  little  book  of  only  250  pages,  sold 
for  £310  in  1891.  It  was  published  for  one  shilling  and 
sixpence.  The  first  edition  of  Robinson  Crusoe  brought 
£75  at  the  Crampton  sale  in  1896. 

The  rage  for  first  editions  of  very  modern  books  reached 
what  might  be  called  high-water  mark  some  time  since, 
and  has  been  on  the  decline.  Shelley's  "Queen  Mab,"  1st 
ed.  1813,  was  sold  at  London  for  £22.10,  and  his  "Eefuta- 
tion  of  Deism,"  1814,  was  sold  at  £33,  at  a  London  sale  in 
1887.  In  Xew  York,  many  first  editions  of  Shelley's 
poems  brought  the  following  enormous  prices  in  1897. 

Shelley's  Adonais,  1st  ed.  Pisa,  Italy,  1821,  $335. 

Alastor,  London,  1816,  $130. 

The  Cenci,  Italy,  1819,  $65. 

Hellas,  London,  1822,  $13. 


BOOK  BUYING.  47 

But  these  were  purely  adventitious  prices,  as  was  clearly 
shown  in  the  sale  at  the  same  auction  rooms,  a  year  or  two 
earlier,  of  the  following: 

Shelley's  Adonais,  1st  ed.  Pisa,  1821,  $19. 

Alastor,  London,  181G,  $32. 

The  Cenci,  Italy,  1819,  $21. 

Hellas,  London,  1822,  $2. 

The  sales  occasionally  made  at  auction  of  certain  books 
at  extraordinary  prices,  prove  nothing  whatever  as  to  the 
real  market  value,  for  these  reasons:  (1)  The  auctioneer 
often  has  an  unlimited  bid,  and  the  price  is  carried  up  to 
an  inordinate  height.  (2)  Two  or  more  bidders  present, 
infatuated  by  the  idea  of  extreme  rarity,  bid  against  one 
another  until  all  but  one  succumb,  when  the  price  has 
reached  a  figure  which  it  is  a  mild  use  of  terms  to  call  ab- 
surd. (3)  Descriptions  in  sale  catalogues,  though  often 
entirely  unfounded,  characterising  a  book  as  "excessively 
rare;"  "only  —  copies  known,"  "very  scarce,"  "never  be- 
fore offered  at  our  sales,"  etc.,  may  carry  the  bidding  on  a 
book  up  to  an  unheard-of  price. 

The  appeal  always  lies  to  the  years  against  the  hours; 
and  many  a  poor  book-mad  enthusiast  has  had  to  rue  his 
too  easy  credulity  in  giving  an  extravagant  sum  for  books 
which  he  discovers  later  that  he  could  have  bought  for  as 
many  shillings  as  he  has  paid  dollars.  Not  that  the  rar- 
issimi  of  early  printed  books  can  ever  be  purchased  for 
a  trifle;  but  it  should  ever  be  remembered  that  even  at  the 
sales  where  a  few — a  very  few — bring  the  enormous  prices 
that  are  bruited  abroad,  the  mass  of  the  books  offered  are 
knocked  down  at  very  moderate  figures,  or  are  even  sacri- 
ficed at  rates  very  far  below  their  cost.  The  possessor  of 
one  of  the  books  so  ndvertised  as  sold  at  some  auction  for  a 
hundred  dollars  or  upwards,  if  he  expects  to  realise  a  tithe 


48  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

of  the  figure  quoted,  will  speedily  find  himself  in  the  voca- 
tive. 

While  there  are  almost  priceless  rarities  not  to  be  found 
in  the  market  hy  any  buyer,  let  the  bouk  collector  be  con- 
soled by  the  knowledge  that  good  books,  in  good  editions, 
were  never  so  easy  to  come  by  as  now.  A  fine  library  can 
be  gathered  by  any  one  with  very  moderate  means,  supple- 
mented by  a  fair  amount  of  sagacity  and  common  sense. 
The  buyer  with  a  carefully  digested  list  of  books  wanted 
will  find  that  to  buy  them  wisely  takes  more  time  and  less 
money  than  he  had  anticipated.  The  time  is  required  to 
acquaint  himself  with  the  many  competing  editions,  with 
their  respective  merits  and  demerits.  This  involves  a  com- 
l)arison  of  type,  paper,  and  binding,  as  well  as  the  compar- 
ative prices  of  various  dealers  for  the  same  books.  No  one 
who  is  himself  gifted  with  good  perceptions  and  good  taste, 
should  trust  to  other  hands  the  selection  of  his  library. 
His  enjoyment  of  it  will  be  proportioned  to  the  extent  to 
which  it  is  his  own  creation.  The  passion  for  nobly  writ- 
ten books,  handsomely  printed,  and  clothed  in  a  fitting 
garb,  when  it  has  once  dawned,  is  not  to  be  defrauded  of  its 
satisfaction  by  hiring  a  commission  merchant  to  appease 
it.  What  we  do  for  ourselves,  in  the  acquirement  of  any 
knovvdedge,  is  apt  to  be  well  done:  what  is  done  for  us  by 
others  is  of  little  value. 

We  have  heard  of  some  uninformed  parvenus,  grown 
suddenly  rich,  who  have  first  ordered  a  magnificent  library 
room  fitted  with  rose-wood,  marble  and  gilded  trappings, 
and  then  ordered  it  to  be  filled  with  splendidly  bound  vol- 
umes at  so  much  per  volume.  And  it  is  an  authentic  fact, 
that  a  bookseller  to  the  Czar  of  Eussia  one  Klostermann, 
actually  sold  books  at  fifty  to  one  hundred  roubles  by  the 
yard,  according  to  the  binding.     The  force  of  folly  could 


BOOK  BUYING.  49 

no  farther  go,  to  debase  the  aims  and  degrade  the  intellect 
of  man. 

In  the  chapter  upon  rare  books,  the  reader  will  find  in- 
stances in  great  variety  of  the  causes  that  contribute  to  the 
scarcity  and  enhancement  of  prices  of  certain  books,  with- 
out at  all  affecting  their  intrinsic  value,  which  may  be  of 
the  smallest. 


CHAPTER    3. 

The   Art  of  Book    Binding. 

In  these  suggestions  upon  the  important  question  of  the 
binding  of  books,  I  shall  have  nothing  to  say  of  the  history 
of  the  art,  and  very  little  of  its  aesthetics.  The  plainest 
and  most  practical  hints  vill  be  aimed  at,  and  if  my  experi- 
ence shall  prove  of  value  to  any,  I  shall  be  well  rewarded 
for  giving  it  here.  For  other  matters  readers  will  natur- 
ally consult  some  of  the  numerous  manuals  of  book-bind- 
ing in  English,  French  and  German.  The  sumptuous 
bindings  executed  in  the  sixteenth  century,  under  the  pat- 
ronage and  the  eyes  of  Grolier,  the  famous  tooled  master- 
pieces of  Derome,  Le  Gascon,  Padeloup,  Trautz  and  other 
French  artists,  and  the  beautiful  gems  of  the  binder's  art 
from  the  hands  of  Eoger  Payne,  Lewis,  Mackenzie,  Hay- 
day  and  Bedford,  are  they  not  celebrated  in  the  pages  of 
Dibdin,  Lacroix,  Fournier,  AYheatley,  and  Eobert  Hoe? 

There  are  some  professed  lovers  of  books  who  affect 
either  indifference  or  contempt  for  the  style  in  which  their 
favorites  are  dressed.  A  well  known  epigram  of  Burns  is 
sometimes  quoted  against  the  fondness  for  fine  bindings 
which  widely  prevails  in  the  present  day,  as  it  did  in  that 
of  the  Scottish  Poet.  A  certain  Scottish  nobleman,  en- 
dowed with  more  wealth  than  brains,  was  vain  of  his 
splendidly  bound  Shakespeare,  which,  however,  he  never 
read.  Bums,  on  opening  the  folio,  found  the  leaves  sadly 
worm-eaten,  and  wrote  these  lines  on  the  fly-leaf: 

"Through  and  through  th'  inspired  leaves, 
Ye  maggots  make  your  windings; 
But  O  respect  his  lordship's  taste, 
And  spare  the  golden  bindings!" 

(50) 


THE  ART   OF  BOOK-BIXDIXQ.  51 

Yet  no  real  book-lover  fails  to  appreciate  the  neatness 
and  beauty  of  a  tasteful  binding,  any  more  than  he  is  in- 
different to  the  same  qualities  in  literary  style.  Slovenly 
binding  is  almost  as  offensive  to  a  cultivated  eye  as  slovenly 
composition.  Xo  doubt  both  are  "mere  externals,"  as  we 
are  told,  and  so  are  the  splendors  of  scenery,  the  beauty  of 
flowers,  and  the  comeliness  of  the  human  form,  or  features, 
or  costume.  Talk  as  men  will  of  the  insignificance  of 
dress,  it  constitutes  a  large  share  of  the  attractiveness  of 
the  world  in  which  we  live. 

The  two  prime  requisites  of  good  binding  for  libraries 
are  neatness  and  solidity.  It  is  pleasant  to  note  the  steady 
improvement  in  American  bindings  of  late  years.  As  the 
old  style  of  "Half  cloth  boards,"  of  half  a  century  ago,  with 
paper  titles  pasted  on  the  backs,  has  given  way  to  the  neat, 
embossed,  full  muslin  gilt,  so  the  clumsy  and  homely  slieep- 
skin  binding  has  been  supplanted  by  the  half-roan  or  mo- 
rocco, with  marbled  or  mushn  sides.  Few  books  are  is- 
sued, however,  either  here  or  abroad,  in  what  may  be 
called  permanent  bindings.  The  cheapness  demanded  by 
buyers  of  popular  books  forbids  this,  while  it  leaves  to  the 
taste  and  fancy  of  every  one  the  selection  of  the  "library 
style"  in  which  he  will  have  his  collection  permanently 
dressed. 

What  is  the  best  style  of  binding  for  a  select  or  a  public 
library?  is  a  question  often  discussed,  witli  wide  discrep- 
ancies of  opinion.  The  so  universally  prevalent  cloth 
binding  is  too  flimsy  for  books  subjected  to  mucli  use — as 
most  volumes  in  public  collections  and  many  in  private  li- 
braries are  likely  to  be.  The  choice  of  the  more  substan- 
tial bindings  lies  l)etween  calf  and  morocco,  and  between 
half  or  full  bindings  of  either.  For  nearly  all  books,  lialf 
binding,  if  well  executed,  and  wilh  clotli  sides,  is  quite  as 
elegant,  and  very  nearly  as  solid  and  lasting  as  full  leatlier; 


52  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

for  if  a  book  is  so  worn  as  to  need  rebinding,  it  is  generally 
in  a  part  where  the  full  binding  wears  out  quite  as  fast  as 
the  other.  That  is,  it  gets  worn  at  the  hinges  and  on  the 
back,  whether  full  or  half-bound.  The  exceptions  are  the 
heav}^  dictionaries,  encyclopaedias,  and  other  works  of  ref- 
erence, which  are  subjected  to  mucli  wear  and  tear  at  the 
sides,  as  well  as  at  the  back  and  corners.  Full  leather  is 
much  more  expensive  than  half  binding,  though  not 
doubly  so. 

Every  librarian  or  book  collector  should  understand 
something  of  book-binding  and  its  terms,  so  that  he  may 
be  able  to  give  clear  directions  as  to  every  item  involved  in 
binding,  repairing,  or  re-lettering,  and  to  detect  imperfect 
or  slighted  work. 

The  qualities  that  we  always  expect  to  find  in  a  well- 
bound  book  are  solidity,  flexibility,  and  elegance.  Special 
examination  should  be  directed  toward  each  of  these  points 
in  revising  any  lot  of  books  returned  from  a  binder.  Look 
at  each  book  with  regard  to : — 

1.  Flexibility  in  opening. 

2.  Evenness  of  the  cover,  which  should  lie  flat  and 
smooth — each  edge  being  just  parallel  with  the  others 
throughout. 

3.  Compactness — see  that  the  volumes  are  thoroughly 
pressed — solid,  and  not  loose  or  spongy. 

4.  Correct  and  even  lettering  of  titles,  and  other  tooling. 

5.  Good  wide  margins. 

A  well-bound  book  always  opens  out  flat,  and  stays  open. 
It  also  shuts  up  completely,  and  when  closed  stays  shut. 
But  how  many  books  do  we  see  always  bulging  open  at  the 
sides,  or  stiffly  resisting  being  opened  by  too  great  tight- 
ness in  the  back?  If  the  books  you  have  had  bound  do  not 
meet  all  these  requirements,  it  is  time  to  look  for  another 
binder. 


THE  ART   OF  BOOK-BIXDING.  53 

The  different  styles  of  dressing  books  may  all  be  summed 
lip  in  the  following  materials:  Boards, cloth, vellum, sheep, 
bock,  pig-skin,  calf,  Russia,  and  morocco — to  which  may  be 
added  of  recent  years,  buckram,  duck,  linoleum,  and  the 
imitations  of  leather,  such  as  leatherette  and  morocco 
paper,  and  of  parchment.  I  take  no  account  here  of  obso- 
lete styles — as  ivory,  wood,  brass,  silver  and  other  metals, 
nor  of  velvet,  satin,  and  other  occasional  luxuries  of  the 
binder's  art.  These  belong  to  the  domain  of  the  amateur, 
the  antiquary,  or  the  book-fancier — not  to  that  of  the  li- 
brarian or  the  ordinary  book-collector. 

Roan  leather  is  nothing  but  sheep-skin,  stained  or  col- 
ored ;  basil  or  basan  is  sheepskin  tanned  in  bark,  while  roan 
is  tanned  in  sumac,  and  most  of  the  so  called  moroccos  are 
also  slieep,  ingeniously  grained  by  a  mechanical  process. 
As  all  the  manufactures  in  the  world  are  full  of  "shoddy," 
or  sham  materials,  the  bookbinder's  art  affords  no  excep- 
tion. But  if  the  librarian  or  collector  patronises  sliams, 
he  should  at  least  do  it  with  his  eyes  open,  and  with  due 
counting  of  the  cost. 

N"ow  as  to  the  relative  merits  and  demerits  of  materials 
for  binding.  Xo  one  will  choose  boards  covered  with 
paper  for  any  book  which  is  to  be  subjected  to  perusal,  and 
cloth  is  too  flimsy  and  sliaky  in  its  attachment  to  the  book, 
however  cheap,  for  any  library  volumes  which  are  to  be 
constantly  in  use.  It  is  true  that  since  the  bulk  of  the 
new  books  coming  into  any  li})rary  are  bound  in  cloth,  they 
may  be  safely  left  in  it  until  well  worn;  and  by  this  rule, 
all  the  books  which  nobody  ever  reads  may  be  expected  to 
last  many  years,  if  not  for  generations.  Clotli  is  a  very 
durable  material,  and  will  outlast  some  of  the  leathers,  but 
any  wetting  destroys  its  beauty,  and  all  colors  but  t  he  dark- 
est soon  become  soiled  and  repulsive,  if  in  constant  use. 
In   most  libraries,   I   hold   that   every   cloth-bound   book 


54 


A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 


wliich  is  read,  must  sooner  or  later  come  to  have  a  stout 
leather  jacket.  It  may  go  for  years,  especially  if  the  book 
is  well  sewed,  but  to  rebinding  it  must  come  at  last;  and 
the  larger  the  volume,  the  sooner  it  becomes  shaky,  or 
broken  at  some  weak  spot. 

The  many  beautiful  new  forms  of  cloth  binding  should 
have  a  word  of  praise,  but  the  many  more  which  we  see  of 
gaudy,  fantastic,  and  meretricious  bindings,  and  frightful 
combinations  of  colors  must  be  viewed  with  a  shudder. 

Vellum,  formerly  much  used  for  book-bindings,  is  the 
modern  name  for  parchment.  Parchment  was  the  only 
known  writing  material  up  to  the  12th  centur3',when  paper 
was  first  invented.  There  are  two  kinds — animal  and  veg- 
etable. The  vegetable  is  made  from  cotton  fibre  or  paper, 
by  dipping  it  in  a  solution  of  sulphuric  acid  and  [some- 
times] gelatine,  then  removing  the  acid  by  a  weak  solution 
of  ammonia,  and  smooth  finishing  by  rolling  the  sheets 
over  a  heated  cylinder.  Vegetable  parchment  is  used  to 
bind  many  booklets  which  it  is  desired  to  dress  in  an  ele- 
gant or  dainty  style,  but  is  highly  unsuitable  for  library 
books.  Vellum  proper  is  a  much  thicker  material,  made 
from  the  skins  of  calves,  sheep,  or  lambs,  soaked  in  lime- 
water,  and  smoothed  and  hardened  by  burnishing  with  a 
hard  instrument,  or  pumice-stone.  The  common  vellum 
is  made  from  sheep-skin  splits,  or  skivers,  but  the  best 
from  whole  calf-skins.  The  hard,  strong  texture  of  vel- 
lum is  in  its  favor,  but  its  white  color  and  tendency  to 
warp  are  fatal  objections  to  it  as  a  binding  material. 

Vellum  is  wholly  unfit  for  the  shelves  of  a  library;  the 
elegant  white  binding  soils  with  dust,  or  the  use  of  the 
hands,  more  quickly  than  any  other;  and  the  vellum  warps 
in  a  dry  climate,  or  curls  up  in  a  heated  room,  so  as  to  be 
unmanageable  upon  the  shelves,  and  a  nuisance  in  the  eyes 
of  librarian  and  reader  alike.     The  thin  vegetable  parch- 


THE  AET  OF  BOOK-BINDIXG.  65 

ment  lately  in  vogue  for  some  books  and  booklets  is  too  un- 
substantial for  anything  but  a  lady's  boudoir,  where  it  may 
have  its  little  day — "a  thing  of  beauty/'  but  by  no  means 
"a  joy  forever." 

Sheepskin — once  the  full  binding  for  most  school-books, 
and  for  a  large  share  of  law  and  miscellaneous  works  for 
libraries,  is  now  but  little  used,  except  in  its  disguised 
forms.  It  is  too  soft  a  leather  for  hard  wear  and  tear,  and 
what  with  abrasion  and  breaking  at  the  hinges  (termed  by 
binders  the  joints),  it  will  give  little  satisfaction  in  the 
long  run.  Under  the  effect  of  gas  and  heated  atmospheres 
sheep  crumbles  and  turns  to  powder.  Its  cheapness  is 
about  its  only  merit,  and  even  this  is  doubtful  economy, 
since  no  binding  can  be  called  cheap  that  has  to  be  rebound 
or  repaired  every  few  years.  In  the  form  of  half-roan  or 
bock,  colored  sheep  presents  a  handsome  appearance  on  the 
shelf,  and  in  volumes  or  sets  which  are  reasonably  secure 
from  frequent  handling,  one  is  sometimes  justified  in 
adopting  it,  as  it  is  far  less  expensive  than  morocco.  Pig- 
skin has  been  recently  revived  as  a  binding  material,  but 
though  extremely  hard  and  durable,  it  is  found  to  warp 
badly  on  the  shelves. 

Calf  bindings  have  always  been  great  favorites  with 
book-lovers,  and  there  are  few  things  more  beautiful — 
prima  facie,  than  a  volume  daintily  bound  in  light  French 
calf,  as  smooth  as  glass,  as  fine  as  silk,  with  elegant  gold 
tooling  without  and  within,  gilt  edges,  and  fiy-leaves  of 
finest  satin.  I  said  beautiful,  prima  facie — and  this  calls 
to  mind  the  definition  of  that  law  term  by  a  learned  Ver- 
mont jurist,  who  said :  "Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  I  must  ex- 
plain lo  you  that  a  prima  facie  case  is  a  case  that  is  very 
good  in  front,  but  may  be  very  bad  in  the  roar."  So  of  our 
so  much  lauded  and  really  lovely  calf  bindings:  thoy  de- 
velop qualities  in  use  which  give  us  pause.     Calf  is  the 


56  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

most  brittle  of  the  leatliers — hence  it  is  always  breaking 
at  the  hinges;  it  is  a  very  smooth  leather — hence  it  shows 
every  scratch  instantly;  it  is  a  light  and  delicate  leather — 
hence  it  shows  soils  and  stains  more  quickly  than  any  other. 
Out  of  every  hundred  calf-bound  volumes  in  any  well-used 
library,  there  will  not  remain  ten  which  have  not  had  to 
be  re-bound  or  repaired  at  the  end  of  twenty  or  thirty 
years.  Heavy  volumes  bound  in  calf  or  half-calf  leather 
will  break  by  their  own  weight  on  the  shelves,  without  any 
use  at  all;  and  smaller  volumes  are  sure  to  have  their  brit- 
tle joints  snapped  asunder  by  handling  sooner  or  later — it 
is  only  a  question  of  time. 

Xext  comes  Eussia  leather,  which  is  very  thick  and 
strong,  being  made  of  the  hides  of  cattle,  colored,  and  per- 
fumed by  the  oil  of  birch,  and  made  chiefly  in  Eussia.  The 
objections  to  this  leather  are  its  great  cost,  its  stiffness  and 
want  of  elasticity,  and  its  tendency  to  desiccate  and  lose  all 
its  tenacity  in  the  dry  or  heated  atmosphere  of  our  libra- 
ries. It  will  break  at  the  hinges — though  not  so  readily  as 
calf. 

Lastly,  we  have  the  morocco  leather,  so  called  because  it 
was  brought  from  Morocco,  in  Africa,  and  still  we  get  the 
best  from  thence,  and  from  the  Mediterranean  ports  of  the 
Levant — whence  comes  another  name  for  the  best  of  this 
favorite  leather,  "Levant  morocco,"  which  is  the  skin  of 
the  mountain  goat,  and  reckoned  superior  to  all  other 
leathers.  The  characteristics  of  the  genuine  morocco, 
sometimes  called  Turkey  morocco,  having  a  pebbled  grain, 
distinguishing  it  from  the  smooth  morocco,  are  its  tough- 
ness and  durability,  combined  with  softness  and  flexibility. 
It  has  a  very  tenacious  fibre,  and  I  have  never  found  a  real 
morocco  binding  broken  at  the  hinges.  The  old  proverb 
— "there  is  nothing  like  leather" — is  pregnant  with  mean- 
ing, and  especially  applies  to  the  best  morocco.     As  no  ma- 


THE  ART  OF  BOOK-BIXDIXG.  0( 

terial  yet  discovered  in  so  many  ages  can  take  the  place  of 
leather  for  foot-wear  and  for  harness,  such  is  its  tenacity 
and  elasticity — so  for  book  coverings^  to  withstand  wear 
and  tear,  good  leather  is  indispensable.  There  are  thor- 
oughly-bound books  existing  which  are  five  centuries  old 
— representing  about  the  time  when  leather  began  to  re- 
place wood  and  metals  for  binding.  The  three  great  ene- 
mies of  books  are  too  great  heat,  too  much  moisture,  and 
coal  gas,  which  produces  a  sulphurous  acid  very  destruct- 
ive to  bindings,  and  should  never  be  used  in  libraries. 
From  the  dangers  which  destroy  calf  and  Eussia  leather, 
morocco  is  measurably  free. 

As  to  color,  I  usually  choose  red  for  books  which  come 
to  binding  or  rebinding,  for  these  reasons.  The  bulk  of 
every  library  is  of  dark  and  sombre  color,  being  composed 
of  the  old-fashioned  calf  bindings,  which  grow  darker  with 
age,  mingled  with  the  cloth  bindings  of  our  own  day,  in 
which  dark  colors  predominate.  Now  the  intermixture 
of  red  morocco,  in  all  or  most  of  the  newly  bound  books, 
relieves  the  monotony  of  so  much  blackness,  lights  up  the 
shelves,  and  gives  a  more  cheerful  aspect  to  the  whole  li- 
brary. Some  there  are  who  insist  upon  varying  the  colors 
of  bindings  with  the  subjects  of  the  books — and  the  Brit- 
ish i^Iuscum  Library  actually  once  ])0und  all  works  on  bot- 
any in  green,  poetry  in  yellow,  history  in  red,  and  theology 
in  })lue;  but  this  is  more  fanciful  than  important.  A  sec- 
ond reason  for  preferring  red  in  moroccos  is  that,  being 
dyed  with  cochineal,  it  holds  its  color  more  permanently 
than  any  other — the  moroccos  not  colored  red  turning  to 
a  dingy,  disagreeable  brown  after  forty  or  fifty  years,  while 
the  red  are  found  to  be  fast  colors.  This  was  first  discov- 
ered in  the  National  Library  of  France,  and  ever  since 
most  books  in  that  great  collection  have  l)oon  bound  in  red. 
A  celebrated  binder  havinir  rccomiiiciKled  this  color  to  a 


58  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

connoisseur  who  was  having  line  morocco  binding  done, 
instanced  the  example  of  the  Paris  Library,  whose  books, 
said  he,  are  "mostly  red,"  to  which  the  amateur  replied 
that  he  hoped  they  were. 

Add  to  the  merits  of  morocco  leather  the  fact  that  it  is, 
not  easily  scratched  nor  stained,  that  it  is  very  tough  in 
wear,  and  resists  better  than  any  other  the  moisture  and 
soiling  of  the  hands — and  we  have  a  material  worthy  of  all 
acceptance. 

In  half-binding  chosen  for  the  great  majority  of  books 
because  it  is  much  cheaper  than  full  leather,  the  sides  are 
covered  with  muslin  or  with  some  kind  of  colored  paper- — 
usually  marble.  The  four  corners  of  every  book,  how- 
ever, should  always  be  protected  by  leather  or,  better  still, 
by  vellum,  which  is  a  firmer  material — otherwise  they  will 
rapidly  wear  off,  and  the  boards  will  break  easily  at  their 
corners.  As  to  the  relative  merits  of  cloth  and  paper  for 
the  sides  of  books,  cloth  is  far  more  durable,  though  it 
costs  more.  Paper  becomes  quickly  frayed  at  the  edges, 
or  is  liable  to  peel  where  pasted  on,  though  it  may  be  re- 
newed at  small  expense,  and  may  properly  be  used  except 
upon  the  much-read  portion  of  the  library.  The  cloth  or 
paper  should  always  harmonize  in  color  with  the  leather  to 
which  it  is  attached.  They  need  not  be  the  same,  but  they 
should  be  of  similar  shade. 

One  more  reason  for  preferring  morocco  to  other 
leathers  is  that  you  can  always  dispense  with  lettering- 
pieces  or  patches  in  gilding  the  titles  on  the  back.  All 
light-colored  bindings  (including  law  calf)  are  open  to  the 
objection  that  gold  lettering  is  hardly  legible  upon  them. 
Hence  the  necessity  of  stamping  the  titles  upon  darker 
pieces  of  leather,  which  are  fastened  to  the  backs.  These 
lettering-pieces  become  loose  in  over-heated  libraries,  and 
tend  continually  to  peel  off,  entailing  the  expense  of  re- 


THE  ART  OF  BOOK-BIXDIXG.  59 

pairing  or  re-lettering.  Every  morocco  bound  book  can 
be  lettered  directly  upon  the  leather.  Bock  is  made  of  the 
skin  of  the  Persian  sheep,  and  is  called  Persian  in  London. 
It  is  a  partially  unsuccessful  imitation  of  morocco,  becom- 
ing easily  abraded,  like  all  the  sheep-skin  leathers,  and  al- 
though it  is  to  be  had  in  all  colors,  and  looks  fairly  hand- 
some for  a  time,  and  is  tougher  than  skiver  (or  split  sheep- 
skin), the  books  that  are  bound  in  it  will  sooner  or  later 
become  an  eyesore  upon  the  shelves.  A  skin  of  Persian 
leather  costs  about  one-third  the  price  of  genuine  morocco, 
or  goat.  But  the  actual  saving  in  binding  is  in  a  far  less 
ratio — the  difference  being  only  six  to  eight  cents  per  vol- 
ume. It  is  really  much  cheaper  to  use  morocco  in  the  first 
place,  than  to  undergo  all  the  risks  of  deterioration  and 
re-binding. 

Of  the  various  imitations  of  leather,  or  substitutes  for  it, 
we  have  leatherette,  leather-cloth,  duck,  fibrette,  feltine, 
and  buckram.  Buckram  and  duck  are  strong  cotton  or 
linen  fabricks,  made  of  different  colors,  and  sometimes  fig- 
ured or  embossed  to  give  them  somewhat  the  look  of 
leather.  Hitherto,  they  are  made  mostly  in  England,  and 
I  have  learned  of  no  American  experience  in  their  favor 
except  the  use  of  stout  duck  for  covering  blank  books  and 
binding  newspapers.  The  use  of  buckram  has  been  mostly 
abandoned  by  the  libraries.  Morocco  cloth  is  American, 
but  has  no  advantage  over  plain  muslin  or  book  cloth,  that 
I  am  aware  of.  Leatherette,  made  principally  of  paper, 
colored  and  embossed  to  simulate  morocco  leather,  appears 
to  have  dropped  out  of  use  almost  as  fast  as  it  came  in,  hav- 
ing no  quality  of  permanence,  elegance,  or  even  of  great 
cheapness  to  commend  it.  Leatherette  tears  easily,  and 
lacks  bofh  tenacity  and  smoothness. 

Both  feltine  and  fibrette  are  made  of  paper — tear  quick- 
ly, and  are  unfit  for  use  on  any  book  that  is  ever  likely  to 


60  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READEES. 

be  read.  All  these  imitations  of  leather  are  made  of  paper 
as  their  basis,  and  hence  can  never  be  proper  substitutes 
for  leather. 

All  torn  leaves  or  plates  in  books  should  be  at  once 
mended  by  pasting  a  very  thin  onion-skin  paper  on  both 
sides  of  the  torn  leaf,  and  pressing  gently  between  leaves 
of  sized  paper  until  dry. 

Corners  made  of  vellum  or  parchment  are  more  durable 
than  any  leather.  When  dry,  the  parchment  becomes  as 
hard  almost  as  iron  and  resists  falls  or  abrasion.  To  use 
it  on  books  where  the  backs  are  of  leather  is  a  departure 
from  the  uniformity  or  harmony  of  style  insisted  upon  by 
many,  but  in  binding  books  that  are  to  be  greatly  worn,  use 
should  come  before  beauty. 

In  rebinding,  all  maps  or  folded  plates  should  be  mount- 
ed on  thin  canvas,  linen,  or  muslin,  strong  and  fine,  to  pro- 
tect them  from  inevitable  tearing  by  long  use.  If  a  coarse 
or  thick  cloth  is  used,  the  maps  will  not  fold  or  open  easily 
and  smoothly. 

The  cutting  or  trimming  of  the  edges  of  books  needs  to 
be  watched  with  jealous  care.  Few  have  reflected  that  the 
more  margin  a  binder  cuts  off,  the  greater  his  profit  on  any 
job,  white  paper  shavings  having  a  very  appreciable  price 
by  the  pound.  A  strictly  uncut  book  is  in  many  American 
libraries  a  rarity.  And  of  the  books  which  go  a  second 
time  to  the  binder,  although  at  first  uncut,  how  many  re- 
tain their  fair  proportions  of  margin  when  they  come  back? 
You  have  all  seen  books  in  which  the  text  has  been  cut 
into  by  the  ruthless  knife-machine  of  the  binder.  This  is 
called  'T^leeding"  a  book,  and  there  are  no  words  strong 
enough  to  denounce  this  murderous  and  cold-blooded  atro- 
city. The  trimming  of  all  books  should  be  held  within 
the  narrowest  limits — for  the  life  of  a  book  depends  largely 
upon  its  preserving  a  good  margin.     Its  only  chance  of  be- 


THE  AKT  OF  BOOK-BINDING.  61 

ing  able  to  stand  a  second  rebinding  may  depend  upon  its 
being  very  little  trimmed  at  its  first.  If  it  must  be  cut  at 
all,  charge  your  binder  to  take  off  the  merest  shaving  from 
either  edge. 

Every  new  book  or  magazine  added  to  the  library,  if  un- 
cut, should  be  carefully  cut  with  a  paper-knife  before  it 
goes  into  the  hands  of  any  reader.  Spoiled  or  torn  or  rag- 
ged edges  will  be  the  penalty  of  neglecting  this.  You 
have  seen  people  tear  open  the  leaves  of  books  and  maga- 
zines with  their  fingers — a  barbarism  which  renders  him 
who  would  be  guilty  of  it  worthy  of  banishment  from  the 
resorts  of  civilization.  In  cutting  books,  the  leaves  should 
always  be  held  firmly  down — and  the  knife  pressed  evenly 
through  the  uncut  leaves  to  the  farthest  verge  of  the  back. 
Books  which  are  cut  in  the  loose  fashion  which  many  use 
are  left  with  rough  or  ragged  edges  always,  and  often  a 
slice  is  gouged  out  of  the  margin  by  the  mis-directed  knife. 
Xever  trust  a  book  to  a  novice  to  be  cut,  without  showing 
him  how  to  do  it,  and  how  not  to  do  it. 

The  collation  of  new  books  in  cloth  or  troche  should  be 
done  before  cutting,  provided  they  are  issued  to  readers 
untrimmed.  In  collating  books  in  two  or  more  volumes 
double  watchfulness  is  needed  to  guard  against  a  missing 
signature,  which  may  have  its  place  filled  by  the  same 
pages  belonging  to  another  volume — a  mixture  sometimes 
made  in  binderies,  in  "gathering"  the  sheets,  and  which 
makes  it  necessary  to  see  that  tlie  signatures  are  right  as 
well  as  the  pages.  The  collator  should  check  off  all  plates 
and  maps  called  for  by  the  table  of  contents  to  make  sure 
that  the  copy  is  perfect.  Books  without  pagination  arc  of 
course  to  have  their  leaves  counted,  which  is  done  first  in 
detail,  one  by  one,  and  fhcn  verified  1)y  a  rapid  counting  in 
sections,  in  the  manner  used  by  printers  and  binders  in 
counting  paper  by  the  quire. 


62  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

The  binding  of  books  may  be  divided  into  two  styles  or 
methods,  namely,  machine-made  book-bindings,  and  hand- 
made bindings.  Binding  by  machinery  is  wholly  a  modern 
art,  and  is  applied  to  all  or  nearly  all  new  books  coming 
from  the  press.  As  these  are,  in  more  than  nine  cases  out 
of  ten,  bound  in  cloth  covers,  and  these  covers,  or  cases,  are 
cut  out  and  stamped  by  machinery,  such  books  are  called 
"case-made."  The  distinction  between  this  method  of 
binding  and  the  hand  method  is  that  in  the  former  the 
case  is  made  separately  from  the  book,  which  is  then  put 
into  it.  After  the  sheets  of  any  book  come  pressed  and 
dried  from  the  printing  office,  the  first  step  is  to  fold  them 
from  the  large  flat  sheets  into  book  form.  This  is  some- 
times done  by  hand-folders  of  bone  or  some  other  hard  ma- 
terial, but  in  large  establishments  for  making  books,  it  is 
done  by  a  folding  machine.  This  will  fold  ten  thousand 
or  more  sheets  in  a  day.  The  folded  sheets  are  next 
placed  in  piles  or  rows,  in  their  numerical  sequence,  and 
"gathered"  by  hand,  i.  e:  a  bindery  hand  picks  up  the 
sheets  one  by  one,  with  great  rapidity,  until  one  whole 
book  is  gathered  and  collated,  and  the  process  is  repeated 
so  long  as  any  sheets  remain.  Next,  the  books  are  thor- 
oughly pressed  or  "smashed"  as  it  is  called,  in  a  powerful 
smashing-machine,  giving  solidity  to  the  book,  which  be- 
fore pressing  was  loose  and  spongy.  Then  the  books  are 
sawed  or  grooved  in  the  back  by  another  machine,  operat- 
ing a  swiftly  moving  saw,  and  sewed  on  cords  by  still  an- 
other machine,  at  about  half  the  cost  of  hand-sewing. 
Next,  they  are  cut  or  trimmed  on  the  three  edges  in  a  cut- 
ting-machine. The  backs  of  the  books  are  made  round  by 
a  rounding-machine, leaving  the  back  convex  and  the  front 
concave  in  form,  as  seen  in  all  finished  books.  The  books 
are  now  ready  for  the  covers.  These  consist  of  binders' 
board  or  mill-board,  cut  out  of  large  sheets  into  proper 


THE  ART  OF  BOOK-BIXDIXG.  63 

size,  with  lightning-like  rapidity,  by  another  machine  called 
a  rotary  board-cutter.  The  cloth  which  is  to  form  the 
back  and  sides  of  the  book  is  cut  out,  of  proper  size  for  the 
boards,  from  great  rolls  of  stamped  or  ribbed  or  embossed 
muslin,  by  another  machine.  The  use  of  cloth,  now  so 
universal  for  book-binding,  dates  back  little  more  than  half 
a  century.  About  1825,  Mr.  Leighton,  of  London,  intro- 
duced it  as  a  substitute  for  the  drab-colored  paper  then 
used  on  the  sides,  and  for  the  printed  titles  on  the  backs. 
The  boards  are  firmly  glued  to  the  cloth,  the  edges  of 
which  are  turned  over  the  boards,  and  fastened  on  the  in- 
side of  the  covers.  The  ornamental  stamps  or  figures  seen 
on  the  covers,  both  at  the  back  and  sides  are  stamped  in 
with  a  heated  die  of  brass,  or  other  metal,  worked  by  ma- 
chinery. The  lettering  of  the  title  is  done  in  the  same 
way,  only  that  gold-leaf  is  applied  before  the  die  falls. 
Lastly,  the  book  is  pasted  by  its  fly  leaves  or  end-leaves, 
(sometimes  with  the  addition  of  a  cloth  guard)  to  the  in- 
side of  the  cloth  case  or  cover,  and  the  book  is  done,  after 
a  final  pressing.  By  these  rapid  machine  methods  a  single 
book-manufacturing  house  can  turn  out  ten  thousand  vol- 
umes in  a  day,  with  a  rapidity  which  almost  takes  the 
breath  away  from  the  beholder. 

There  is  a  kind  of  binding  which  dispenses  entirely  with 
sewing  the  sheets  of  a  book.  The  backs  are  soaked  with  a 
solution  of  india-rubber,  and  each  slieet  must  be  thorough- 
ly agglutinated  to  the  backs,  so  as  to  adhere  firmly  to  its 
fellows.  This  requires  that  all  the  sheets  shall  be  folded 
as  single  leaves  or  folios,  otherwise  the  inner  leaves  of  the 
sheets,  having  no  sewing,  would  drop  out.  This  metliod 
is  employed  on  volumes  of  plates,  music,  or  any  books  made 
up  of  large  separate  sheets. 

Tn  notable  contrast  to  these  raj)i(l  methods  of  binding 


64  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

what  are  termed  case-made  books,  comes  the  hand-made 
process,  where  only  partial  use  of  machinery  is  possible. 

The  rebinding  process  is  divided  into  three  branches: 
preparing,  forwarding,  and  finishing.  The  most  vital  dis- 
tinction between  a  machine-made  and  a  hand-made  bind- 
ing, is  that  the  cloth  or  case-made  book  is  not  fastened  into 
its  cover  in  a  firm  and  permanent  way,  as  in  leather-backed 
books.  It  is  simply  pasted  or  glued  to  its  boards — not  in- 
terlaced by  the  cords  or  bands  on  which  it  is  sewed.  Hence 
one  can  easily  tear  off  the  whole  cover  of  a  cloth-bound 
book,  by  a  slight  effort,  and  such  volumes  tend  to  come  to 
pieces  early,  under  constant  w^ear  and  tear  of  library  ser- 
vice. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  practical  steps  pursued  in  the 
treatment  of  books  for  library  use.  In  re-binding  a  book, 
the  first  step  is  to  take  the  book  apart,  or,  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  to  take  it  to  pieces.  This  is  done  by  first 
stripping  off  its  cover,  if  it  has  one.  Cloth  covers  easily 
come  off,  as  their  boards  are  not  tied  to  the  cords  on  which 
the  book  is  sewed,  but  are  simply  fastened  by  paste  or  glue 
to  the  boards  by  a  muslin  guard,  or  else  the  cloth  is  glued 
to  the  back  of  the  book.  If  the  book  is  leather-covered, 
or  half -bound,  i.  e.:  with  a  leather  back  and  (usually) 
leather  on  its  four  corners,  taking  it  to  pieces  is  a  some- 
what slower  process.  The  binder's  knife  is  used  to  cut  the 
leather  at  the  Joints  or  hinges  of  the  volume,  so  that  the 
boards  may  be  removed.  The  cords  that  tie  the  boards  to 
the  volume  are  cut  at  the  same  time.  If  the  book  has  a 
loose  or  flexible  back,  the  whole  cover  comes  easily  off:  if 
bound  wdth  a  tight  back,  the  glued  leather  back  must  be 
soaked  with  a  sponge  full  of  w^ater,  till  it  is  soft  enough  to 
peel  off,  and  let  the  sheets  be  easily  separated. 

The  book  is  now  stripped  of  its  former,  binding,  and  the 
next  step  is  to  take  it  apart,  signature  by  signature.     A 


THE  AET  OF  BOOK-BINDING.  65 

signature  is  that  number  of  leaves  which  make  up  one  sheet 
of  the  book  in  hand.  Thus,  an  octavo  volume,  or  a  volume 
printed  in  eights,  as  it  is  called,  has  eight  leaves,  or  sixteen 
pages  to  a  signature;  a  quarto  four  leaves;  a  duodecimo, 
or  12  mo.  twelve  leaves.  The  term  signature  (from  Lat. 
signare,  a  sign)  is  also  applied  to  a  letter  or  figure  printed 
at  the  foot  of  the  first  page  of  each  sheet  or  section  of  the 
book.  If  the  letters  are  used,  the  signatures  begin  with 
A.  and  follow  in  regular  sequence  of  the  alphabet.  If  the 
book  is  a  very  thick  one,  (or  more  than  twenty-six  signa- 
tures) then  after  signature  Z,  it  is  customary  to  duplicate 
the  letters — A.  A. — etc.,  for  the  remaining  signatures.  If 
figures  are  used  instead  of  letters,  the  signatures  run  on  to 
the  last,  in  order  of  numbers.  These  letters,  indicating 
signatures  are  an  aid  to  the  binder,  in  folding,  "gathering," 
and  collating  the  consecutive  sheets  of  any  book,  saving 
constant  reference  to  the  "pagination,"  as  it  is  termed,  or 
the  paging  of  the  volume,  which  would  take  much  more 
time.  In  many  books,  you  find  the  signature  repeated  in 
the  "inset,"  or  the  inner  leaves  of  the  sheet,  with  a  star  or 
a  figure  to  mark  the  sequence.  Many  books,  however,  are 
now  printed  without  any  signature  marks  whatever. 

To  return:  in  taking  apart  the  sheets  or  signatures, 
where  they  are  stuck  together  at  the  back  by  adhesive  glue 
or  paste,  the  knife  is  first  used  to  cut  the  thread  in  the 
grooves,  where  the  book  is  sewed  on  cords  or  tape.  Then 
the  back  is  again  soaked,  the  sheets  are  carefully  separated, 
and  the  adhering  substance  removed  by  the  knife  or 
fingers.  Care  has  to  be  taken  to  lay  the  signatures  in  strict 
order  or  sequence  of  pages,  or  the  book  may  be  bound  up 
wrongly.  The  threads  are  next  to  be  removed  from  the 
inside  of  every  sheet.  The  sheets  being  all  separated,  the 
})Ook  is  next  pressed,  to  render  all  the  leaves  smooth,  and 
the  book  solid  for  binding.     Formerly,  books  were  beaten 


C6  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READEES. 

by  a  powerful  liamiuer,  to  accomplish  this,  but  it  is  much 
inore  quickly  and  effectively  done  in  most  binderies  by  the 
ordinary  screw  press.  Every  pressing  of  books  should 
leave  them  under  pressure  at  least  eight  hours. 

After  pressing,  the  next  step  is  to  sew  the  sheets  on  to 
cords  or  twine,  set  vertically  at  proper  distances  in  a  frame, 
called  a  "sewing  bench,"  for  this  purpose.  No  book  can 
be  thoroughly  well  bound  if  the  sewing  is  slighted  in  any 
degree.  Insist  upon  strong,  honest  linen  thread — if  it 
breaks  with  a  slight  pull  it  is  not  fit  to  be  used  in  a  book. 
The  book  is  prepared  for  the  sewer  by  sawing  several 
grooves  across  the  back  with  a  common  saw.  The  two  end 
grooves  are  light  and  narrow,  the  central  ones  wider  and 
deeper.  Into  these  inner  grooves,  the  cords  fit  easily,  and 
the  book  being  taken,  sheet  by  sheet,  is  firmly  sewed 
around  the  cords,  by  alternate  movements  of  the  needle 
and  thread,  always  along  the  middle  of  the  sheet,  the 
i. bread  making  a  firm  knot  at  each  end  (called  the  "kettle- 
stitch")  as  it  is  returned  for  sewing  on  the  next  sheet. 
Sometimes  the  backs  are  not  sawed  at  all,  but  the  sheets  of 
the  book  are  sewed  around  the  cords,  which  thus  project  a 
little  from  the  back,  and  form  the  "bands,"  seen  in  raised 
form  on  the  backs  of  some  books.  Books  should  be  sewed 
on  three  to  six  cords,  according  to  their  size.  This  raised- 
band  sewing  is  reckoned  by  some  a  feature  of  excellent 
binding.  The  sunken-band  style  is  apt  to  give  a  stiff  back, 
while  the  raised  bands  are  usually  treated  with  a  flexible 
back.  When  sewed,  the  book  is  detached  from  its  fellows, 
which  may  have  been  sewed  on  the  same  bench,  by  slipping 
it  along  the  cords,  then  cutting  them  apart,  so  as  to  leave 
some  two  inches  of  each  cord  projecting,  as  ends  to  be  fast- 
ened later  to  the  board.  In  careful  binding,  the  thread  is 
sewed  "all  along,"  i.  e.:  each  sheet  by  itself,  instead  of 
"two  on/'  as  it  is  called. 


THE  ART   OF  BOOK-BINDING.  67 

The  next  process  is  termed  ^'lining  up,"  and  consists  of 
putting  on  the  proper  fly-leaves  or  end-leaves,  at  the  be- 
ginning and  end  of  the  volume.  These  usually  consist  of 
four  leaves  of  ordinary  white  printing  paper  at  each  end, 
sometimes  finished  out  with  two  leaves  of  colored  or  mar- 
bled paper,  to  add  a  touch  of  beauty  to  the  book  when 
opened.  Marbled  paper  is  more  durable  in  color  than  the 
tinted,  and  does  not  stain  so  easily.  One  of  these  end- 
leaves  is  pasted  down  to  the  inside  cover,  while  the  other  is 
left  flying— whence  "fly-leaf." 

After  this  comes  the  cutting  of  the  book  at  the  edges. 
This  is  done  by  screwing  it  firmly  in  a  cutting-machine, 
which  works  a  sharp  knife  rapidly,  shaving  off  the  edges 
successively  of  the  head,  front  and  end,  or  "tail"  as  it  is 
called  in  book-binding  parlance.  This  trimming  used  to 
be  done  by  hand,  with  a  sharp  cutting  knife  called  by  bind- 
ers a  "plough,"  Now,  there  are  many  forms  of  cutting 
machines,  some  of  which  are  called  "guillotines"  for  an 
obvious  reason.  In  binding  some  books,  which  it  is  desired 
to  preserve  with  wide  margins,  only  a  mere  shaving  is 
taken  off  the  head,  so  as  to  leave  it  smooth  at  the  top,  let- 
ting the  front  and  tail  leaves  remain  uncut.  But  in  case 
of  re-binding  much-used  books,  the  edges  are  commonly  so 
much  soiled  that  trimming  all  around  may  be  required,  in 
order  that  they  may  present  a  decent  appearance.  Yet  in 
no  case  should  the  binder  be  allowed  to  cut  any  book 
deeply,  so  as  to  destroy  a  good,  fair  margin.  Care  must 
also  be  taken  to  cut  the  margins  evenly,  at  right  angles, 
avoiding  any  crooked  lines. 

After  cutting  the  book  comes  "rounding,"  or  giving  the 
back  of  the  book  a  curved  instead  of  its  flat  shape.  This 
process  is  done  with  the  hand,  by  a  hammer,  or  in  a  round- 
ing press,  with  a  metallic  roller.  Before  rounding,  Die 
back  of  the  book  is  glued  up,  that  is,  receives  a  coating 


68  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

of  melted  glue  with  a  glueing  brush,  to  hold  the  sections 
together,  and  render  the  back  firm,  and  a  thorough  rub- 
bing of  tlie  back  with  hot  glue  between  the  sections  gives 
strength  to  the  volume. 

Next  comes  the  treatment  of  the  edges  of  the  book, 
hitherto  all  white,  in  order  to  protect  them  from  showing 
soil  in  long  use.  Sometimes  (and  this  is  the  cheaper  pro- 
cess) the  books  are  simply  sprinkled  at  the  edges  with  a 
brush  dipped  in  a  dark  fluid  made  of  burnt  umber  or  red 
ochre,  and  shaken  with  a  quick  concussion  near  the  edges 
until  they  receive  a  sprinkle  of  color  from  the  brush. 
Other  books  receive  what  is  called  a  solid  color  on  the 
edges,  the  books  being  screwed  into  a  press,  and  the  color 
applied  with  a  sponge  or  brush. 

But  a  marbled  edge  presents  a  far  more  handsome  ap- 
pearance, and  should  harmonize  in  color  and  figure  with 
the  marbled  paper  of  the  end  leaves.  Marbling,  so  called 
from  its  imitation  of  richly  veined  colored  marble,  is  stain- 
ing paper  or  book  edges  with  variegated  colors.  The  pro- 
cess of  marbling  is  highly  curious,  both  chemically  and  aes- 
thetically, and  may  be  briefly  described.  A  large  shallow 
trough  or  vat  is  filled  with  prepared  gum  water  (gum-trag- 
acanth  being  used) ;  on  the  surface  of  this  gum- water  bright 
colors,  mixed  with  a  little  ox-gall,  to  be  used  in  producing 
the  composite  effect  aimed  at  in  the  marbling  are  thrown 
or  sprinkled  in  liquid  form.  Then  they  are  deftly  stirred 
or  agitated  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  with  an  implement 
shaped  to  produce  a  certain  pattern.  The  most  commonly 
used  one  is  a  long  metallic  comb,  which  is  drawn  across  the 
surface  of  the  combined  liquids,  leaving  its  pattern  im- 
pressed upon  the  ductile  fluid.  The  edges  of  the  book  to 
be  marbled  are  then  touched  or  dipped  on  the  top  of  the 
water,  on  which  the  coloring  matter  floats,  and  at  once 
"withdrawn,  exhibiting  on  the  edge  the  precise  pattern  of 


THE  ART  OF  BOOK-BINDING.  69 

"combed  marble"  desired,  since  the  various  colors — red, 
3'ellow,  blue,  white,  etc.,  have  adhered  to  the  surface  of  the 
book-edges.  The  serrated  and  diversified  effect  of  most 
comb-marbling  is  due  to  stroking  the  comb  in  waved  lines 
over  the  surface.  The  spotted  effect  so  much  admired  in 
other  forms,  is  produced  by  thro^nng  the  colors  on  with  a 
brush,  at  the  fancy  of  the  skilled  workman,  or  artist,  as 
you  may  call  him.  Marbled  paper  is  made  in  the  same 
way,  by  dipping  one  surface  of  the  white  sheet,  held  in  a 
curved  form,  with  great  care  on  the  surface  of  the  color- 
ing vat.  This  is  termed  shell  and  wave  marbling,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  comb-marbling.  The  paper  or  the  book 
edges  are  next  finished  by  sizing  and  burnishing,  which 
gives  them  a  bright  glistening  appearance. 

A  still  more  ornate  effect  in  a  book  is  attained  by  gilding 
the  edges.  Frequently  the  head  of  a  book  is  gilt,  leaving 
the  front  and  tail  of  an  uncut  book  without  ornament, 
and  this  is  esteemed  a  very  elegant  style  by  book  connois- 
seurs, who  are,  or  should  be  solicitous  of  wide  margins. 
The  gilding  of  the  top  edge  is  a  partial  protection  from 
dust  falling  inside,  to  which  the  other  edges  are  not  so 
liable.  To  gild  a  boot  edge,  it  is  placed  in  a  press,  the 
edges  scraped  or  smoothed,  and  coated  with  a  red-colored 
fluid,  which  serves  to  heighten  the  eifect  of  the  gold. 
Then  a  sizing  is  applied  by  a  camel's-hair  brush,  being  a 
sticky  substance,  usually  the  white  of  an  egg,  mixed  with 
water  (termed  by  binders  "glairc")  and  the  gold-leaf  is  laid 
smoothly  over  it.  When  the  sizing  is  dry,  the  gold  is  bur- 
nished  with  a  tool,  tipped  with  an  agate  or  blood-stone, 
drawn  forcibly  over  the  edge  until  it  assumes  a  glistening 
appearance. 

After  the  edges  have  been  treated  l)y  whatever  process, 
there  follows  what  is  termed  the  "backing"  of  the  book. 
The  volume  is  pressed  between  iron  clamps,  and  the  back 


70  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

is  hammered  or  rolled  where  it  joins  the  sides,  so  as  to  form 
a  groove  to  hold  the  boards  forming  the  solid  portion  of 
the  cover  of  every  book.  A  backing-machine  is  sometimes 
used  for  this  process,  making  by  pressure  the  joint  or 
groove  for  the  boards.  Then  the  "head-band"  is  glued  on, 
being  a  silk  braid  or  colored  muslin,  fastened  around  a 
cord,  which  projects  a  little  above  the  head  and  the  tail,  at 
the  back  of  the  book,  giving  it  a  more  finished  appearance. 
At  the  same  time,  a  book-mark  for  keeping  the  place  is 
sometimes  inserted  and  fastened  like  the  head-band.  This 
is  often  a  narrow  ribbon  of  colored  silk,  or  satin,  and  helps 
to  give  a  finish  to  the  book,  as  well  as  to  furnish  the  reader 
a  trustworthy  guide  to  keep  a  place — as  it  will  not  fall  out 
like  bits  of  paper  inserted  for  that  purpose. 

ISText,  the  mill-boards  are  applied,  cut  so  as  to  project 
about  an  eighth  to  a  quarter  of  an  inch  from  the  edges  of 
the  book  on  three  sides.  The  book  is  held  to  the  boards 
by  the  ends  of  its  cords  being  interlaced,  i.  e. :  passed  twice 
through  holes  pierced  in  the  boards,  the  loose  ends  of  the 
cords  being  then  wet  with  paste  and  hammered  dow^n  flat 
to  the  surface  of  the  boards.  The  best  tar-boards  should 
be  used,  which  are  made  of  old  rope;  no  board  made  of 
straw  is  fit  to  be  used  on  any  book.  Straw  boards  are  an 
abomination — a  cheap  expedient  which  costs  dearly  in  the 
end.  The  binder  sliould  use  heavy  boards  on  the  larger 
and  thicker  volumes,  but  thin  ones  on  all  duodecimos  and 
smaller  sizes. 

ISText,  the  books  are  subjected  to  a  second  pressing,  after 
which  the  lining  of  the  back  is  in  order.  Good  thick 
brown  paper  is  generally  used  for  this,  cut  to  the  length  of 
the  book,  and  is  firmly  glued  to  the  back,  and  rubbed  down 
closely  with  a  bone  folder.  A  cloth  "joint,"  or  piece  of 
linen  (termed  "muslin  super,'")  is  often  glued  to  the  back, 
with  two  narrow  flaps  to  be  pasted  to  the  boards,  on  each 


THE  ART  OF  BOOK-BINDING.  *  1 

side,  thus  giving  greater  tenacity  to  the  covering.  If  the 
book  is  to  be  backed  so  as  to  open  freely,  that  is,  to  have  a 
spring  back  or  elastic  back,  two  thicknesses  of  a  firm, 
strong  paper,  or  thin  card-board  are  used,  one  thickness  of 
the  paper  being  glued  to  the  back  of  the  book,  while  the 
other — open  in  the  middle,  but  fastened  at  the  edges,  is  to 
be  glued  to  the  leather  of  which  the  back  is  to  be  made. 

After  this,  comes  putting  the  book  in  leather.  If  full 
bound,  a  piece  of  leather  cut  full  size  of  the  volume,  with 
about  half  an  inch  over,  is  firmly  glued  or  pasted  to  the 
boards  and  the  back,  the  leather  being  turned  over  the 
edges  of  the  boards,  and  nicely  glued  on  their  inside  mar- 
gin. It  is  of  great  importance  that  the  edges  of  the  leather 
should  be  smoothly  pared  down  with  a  sharp  knife,  so  as  to 
present  an  even  edge  where  the  leather  joins  the  boards, 
not  a  protuberance — which  makes  an  ugly  and  clumsy 
piece  of  work,  instead  of  a  neat  one. 

For  half-binding,  a  piece  of  leather  is  taken  large  enough 
to  cover  the  back  lengthwise,  and  turn  in  at  the  head  and 
tail,  while  the  width  should  be  such  as  to  allow  from  one  to 
one  and  a  half  inches  of  the  leather  to  be  firmly  glued  to 
the  boards  next  the  back.  The  four  corners  of  the  boards 
are  next  to  be  leathered,  the  edges  of  the  leather  being 
carefully  pared  down,  to  give  a  smootli  surface,  even  with 
the  boards,  when  turned  in.  The  leather  is  usually  wet, 
preparatory  to  being  manipulated  thus,  which  renders  it 
more  flexible  and  ductile  than  in  its  dry  state.  The  cloth 
or  marbled  paper  is  afterwards  pasted  or  glued  to  the  sides 
of  the  book,  and  turned  neatly  over  the  edge  of  the  boards. 

It  may  be  added,  that  the  edges  of  the  boards,  in  bind- 
ing nice  books,  are  sometimes  ground  off  on  a  swiftly  re- 
volving emery-wheel, giving  the  book  a  beveled  edge,  which 
is  regarded  as  handsomer  and  more  finished  than  a  straight 
rectangular   edge. 


72  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READKRS. 

All  the  processes  hitherto  described  arc  called  "forward- 
ing" the  book :  we  now  come  to  what  is  denominated  'Tm- 
ishing."  This  includes  the  lettering  of  the  title,  and  the 
embellishing  of  the  back  and  sides,  with  or  without  gild- 
ing, as  the  case  may  be.  Before  this  is  taken  in  hand,  the 
leather  of  the  book  must  be  perfectl}^  dry.  For  the  letter- 
ing, copper-faced  types  are  used  to  set  up  the  desired  se- 
quence of  letters  and  words,  and  care  and  taste  should  be 
exercised  to  have  (1)  Types  neither  too  large,  which  pre- 
sent a  clumsy  appearance,  nor  too  small,  which  are  diffi- 
cult to  read.  (2)  Proper  spacing  of  the  words  and  lines, 
and  'Tjalancing"  the  component  parts  of  the  lettering  on 
the  back,  so  as  to  present  a  neat  and  harmonious  effect  to 
the  eye.  A  word  should  never  be  divided  or  hyphenated 
in  lettering,  when  it  can  be  avoided.  In  the  case  of  quite 
thin  volumes,  the  title  may  be  lettered  lengthwise  along 
the  back,  in  plain,  legible  type,  instead  of  in  very  small 
letters  across  the  back,  which  are  often  illegible.  The 
method  of  applying  gold  lettering  is  as  follows:  the  back 
of  the  book  where  the  title  is  to  go,  is  first  moistened  with 
a  sticky  substance,  as  albumen  or  glaire,  heretofore  men- 
tioned, laid  on  with  a  camcFs  hair  brush.  The  type  (or  the 
die  as  the  case  may  be)  is  heated  in  a  binder's  charcoal  fur- 
nace, or  gas  stove,  to  insure  the  adhesion  of  the  gold  leaf. 
The  thin  gold  leaf  (which  comes  packed  in  little  square 
"books,"  one  sheet  between  every  two  leaves)  is  then  cut 
the  proper  size  by  the  broad  thin  knife  of  the  "finisher," 
and  carefully  laid  over  the  sized  spot  to  receive  the  letter- 
ing. Usually,  two  thicknesses  of  gold  leaf  are  laid  one 
above  another,  which  ensures  a  brighter  and  more  decided 
effect  in  the  lettering.  The  type  metal  or  die  is  then 
pressed  firmly  and  evenly  down  upon  the  gold-leaf,  and  the 
surplus  shavings  of  the  gold  carefully  brushed  off  and  hus- 
banded, for  this  leaf  is  worth  money.     The  gold  leaf  gener- 


THE  ART  OF  BOOK-BINDING.  73 

ally  in  use  costs  about  $6.50  for  500  little  squares  or  sheets. 
It  is  almost  inconceivably  thin,  the  thickness  of  one  gold 
leaf  being  estimated  at  about  ^jsV^^  of  an  inch. 

Besides  the  lettering,  many  books  receive  gold  orna- 
mentation on  the  back  or  side  of  a  more  or  less  elaborate 
character.  Designs  of  great  artistic  beauty,  and  in  count- 
less variety,  have  been  devised  for  book  ornaments,  and 
French  and  English  book-binders  have  vied  with  each 
other  for  generations  in  the  production  of  decorative  bor- 
ders, fillets,  centre-pieces,  rolls,  and  the  most  exquisite 
gold-tooling,  of  which  the  art  is  capable. 

These  varied  patterns  of  book  ornamentation  are  cut  in 
brass  or  steel,  and  applied  by  the  embossing  press  with  a 
rapidity  far  exceeding  that  of  the  hand-work  formerly  ex- 
ecuted by  the  gilders  of  books.  But  for  choice  books  and 
select  jobs,  only  the  hands  are  employed,  with  such  fillets, 
stamps,  pallets,  rolls,  and  polishing  irons  as  may  aid  in  the 
nice  execution  of  the  work.  If  a  book  is  to  be  bound  in 
what  is  called  "morocco  antique,"  it  is  to  be  "blind-tooled," 
i.  e. :  the  hot  iron  wheels  which  impress  the  fillets  or  rolls, 
are  to  be  worked  in  blank,  or  without  gold-leaf  ornamenta- 
tion. This  is  a  rich  and  tasteful  binding,  especially  with 
carefully  beveled  boards,  and  gilded  edges. 

On  some  books,  money  has  been  lavished  on  the  binding 
to  an  amount  exceeding  by  many  fold  the  cost  of  the  book 
itself.  Elegant  book-binding  has  come  to  be  reckoned  as 
a  fine  art,  and  why  should  not  "the  art  preservative  of 
all  other  arts" — printing — be  preserved  in  permanent  and 
sumptuous,  if  not  splendid  style,  in  its  environment? 
Specimens  of  French  artistic  binding  from  the  library  of 
Grolier,  that  celebrated  and  munificent  patron  of  art,  who 
died  in  1505,  have  passed  through  the  hands  of  many  eager 
connoisseurs,  always  at  advancing  prices.  The  Grolier 
binding  was  notable  for  the  elegant  finish  of  its  interlaced 


<4  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

ornaments  in  gold-loaf,  a  delicacy  of  touch,  and  an  inimi- 
table flowing  grace,  which  modern  binders  have  struggled 
after  in  vain.  At  the  Beckford  Library  sale  in  London,  in 
1884,  there  was  a  great  array  of  fine  French  bindings  of 
early  date.  A  book  from  Grolier's  library,  the  ''Toison 
d"Or,"  lafiS,  brought  £405,  or  over  $2,000,  and  a  Heptam- 
eron,  which  had  belonged  to  Louis  XIV,  in  beautiful 
brown  morocco,  witli  crown,  fleur-de-lys,  a  stag,  a  cock,  and 
stars,  as  ornaments,  all  exquisitely  worked  in  gold,  lined 
with  vellum,  was  sold  for  £400.  Following  the  Grolier 
patterns,  came  another  highly  decorative  style,  by  the 
French  binders,  which  was  notable  for  the  very  delicate 
gold  tooling,  covering  the  whole  sides  of  the  book  with  ex- 
quisite scroll-work,  and  branches  of  laurel. 

The  most  celebrated  of  English  book-binders  was  Roger 
Payne,  who  was  notable  for  the  careful  labor  bestowed  on 
the  forwarding  and  finishing  of  his  books,  specimens  of 
which  are  still  reckoned  among  the  cliefs-d'oeuvre  of  the 
art.  His  favorite  style  was  a  roughly-grained  red  morocco, 
always  full-bound,  and  he  kept  in  view  what  many  binders 
forget,  that  the  leather  is  the  main  thing  in  a  finely  exe- 
cuted binding,  not  to  be  overlaid  by  too  much  gilding  and 
decoration.  He  charged  twelve  guineas  each  (over  $60) 
for  binding  some  small  volumes  in  his  best  style.  Payne's 
most  notable  successors  have  been  Lewis,  Hayday,  Bedford, 
and  Zaehnsdorf,  the  latter  of  whom  is  the  author  of  a  trea- 
tise on  book-binding.  At  the  art  exhibition  of  1862,  a 
book  bound  by  Bedford  was  exhibited,  which  took  two 
months  merely  to  finish,  and  the  binding  cost  forty 
guineas ;  and  a  Core's  Dante,  exquisitely  bound  by  Zaehns- 
dorf, in  Grolier  style,  cost  one  hundred  guineas. 

A  decorative  treatment  not  yet  mentioned  is  applied  to 
the  covers  of  some  books,  which  are  bound  in  elegant  full 
calf.     To  give  to  this  leather  the  elegant  finish  known  as 


THE  ART  OF  BOOK-BINDIXG.  75 

"tree-calf  binding",  it  is  first  washed  with  glaire  or  albu- 
men. The  boards  of  the  book  are  then  bent  to  a  convex 
shape,  and  water  sprinkled  over,  until  it  runs  down  from 
the  centre  in  many  little  branches  or  rivulets.  While  run- 
ning, a  solution  of  copperas  is  sprinkled  on,  and  carried 
along  the  branches  which  radiate  from  the  central  trunk, 
producing  the  dark-mottled  colored  effect  which  resembles, 
more  or  less  nearly,  a  tree  with  its  spreading  branches. 

To  make  the  book  beautiful  should  be  the  united  aim  of 
all  who  are  concerned  in  its  manufacture — the  paper- 
maker,  the  printer,  and  the  book-binder.  While  utility 
comes  first  in  the  art  of  book-making  for  libraries,  yet  neat- 
ness and  even  elegance  should  always  be  united  with  it. 
An  ill-forwarded  book,  or  a  badly  finished  one,  presents  a 
clumsy,  unattractive  look  to  the  eye;  while  an  evenly 
made  piece  of  work,  and  a  careful  and  tasteful  ornamenta- 
tion in  the  gilding,  attract  every  discerning  reader  by  their 
beauty.  One  writer  upon  book-binding  terms  the  for- 
warder of  the  book  an  artizan,  and  the  finisher  an  artist; 
but  both  should  have  the  true  artist's  taste,  in  order  to  pro- 
duce the  work  that  shall  commend  itself  by  intrinsic  ex- 
cellence. The  form  and  shape  of  the  book  depend  wholly, 
indeed,  on  the  forwarder. 

We  are  told  that  the  great  beauty  of  the  Grolier  bind- 
ings lay  in  the  lavish  and  tasteful  adornment  of  the  sides. 
In  fact,  much  depends  upon  the  design,  in  every  piece  of 
decorative  work.  The  pretty  scroll  patterns,  the  inter- 
laced figures,  the  delicate  tracery,  the  circles,  rosettes,  and 
stars,  the  lovely  arabesques,  the  flowers  and  leaves  bor- 
rowed from  the  floral  kingdom,  the  geometric  lines,  the 
embroidered  borders,  like  fine  lace-work, — all  these  lend 
their  separate  individual  charms  to  the  finish  of  tlie  varied 
specimens  of  tlie  binder's  art.     There  are  some  books  that 


76  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

look  as  brilliant  as  jewels  in  their  rich,  lustrous  adornment, 
the  design  sometimes  powdered  with  gold  points  and  stars. 
Some  gems  of  art  are  lined  with  rich  colored  leather  in  the 
inside  covers,  which  are  stamped  and  figured  in  gold.  This 
is  termed  ^'double"  by  the  French.  Some  have  their  edges 
gilded  over  marbling,  a  refinement  of  beauty  which  adds 
richness  to  the  work,  the  marble  design  showing  through 
the  brilliant  gold,  when  the  edge  is  turned.  Others  have 
pictorial  designs  drawn  on  the  edges,  which  are  then  gilded 
over  the  pictures.  This  complex  style  of  gilding,  the 
French  term  ijanfre.  It  was  formerly  much  in  vogue,  but 
is  latterly  out  of  fashion.  Many  gems  of  binding  are 
adorned  with  fly-leaves  of  moire  silk,  or  rich  colored  satin. 
Color,  interspersed  with  gold  in  the  finish  of  a  book  cover- 
ing, heightens  the  efi^ect.  The  morocco  of  the  side-cover 
is  sometimes  cut,  and  inlaid  with  leather  of  a  different 
color.  Inlaying  with  morocco  or  kid  is  the  richest  style  of 
decoration  which  the  art  has  yet  reached.  Beautif  id  bind- 
ings have  been  in  greater  request  during  the  past  twenty 
years  than  ever  before.  There  was  a  renaissance  of  the 
ancient  styles  of  decoration  in  France,  and  the  choice 
Grolier  and  Maioli  patterns  were  revived  with  the  general 
applause  of  the  lovers  of  fine  books. 

In  vivid  contrast  to  these  lovely  specimens  of  the  bind- 
er's art,  are  found  innumerable  bibliopegic  horrors,  on  the 
shelves  of  countless  libraries,  public  and  private.  Among 
these  are  to  be  reckoned  most  law  books,  clad  in  that  dead 
monotony  of  ugliness,  which  Charles  Dickens  has  de- 
scribed as  "that  under-done  pie-crust  cover,  which  is  tech- 
nically known  as  law  calf."  There  are  other  uncouth  and 
unwholesome  specimens  everywhere  abroad,  "whom  Satan 
hath  bound",  to  borrow  Mr.  Henry  Stevens's  witty  applica- 
tion of  a  well-known  Scripture  text.     Such  repellent  bind- 


THE  ART  OF  BOOK-BINDING.  77 

ings  are  only  fit  to  serve  as  models  to  be  avoided  by  the 
librarian. 

The  binding  that  is  executed  by  machinery  is  sometimes 
called  "commercial  binding".  It  is  also  known  as  "edition 
binding",  because  the  whole  edition  of  a  book  is  bound  in 
uniform  style  of  cover.  "While  the  modern  figured  cloth 
binding  originated  in  England,  it  has  had  its  fullest  de- 
velopment in  the  United  States.  Here,  those  ingenious 
and  powerful  machines  which  execute  every  branch  of  the 
folding  and  forwarding  of  a  book,  and  even  the  finishing 
of  the  covers,  with  almost  lightning  speed,  were  mostly 
invented  and  applied.  Very  vivid  is  the  contrast  between 
the  quiet,  humdrum  air  of  the  old-fashioned  bindery  hand- 
work, and  the  ceaseless  clang  and  roar  of  the  machinery 
which  turns  out  thousands  of  volumes  in  a  day. 

"Not  as  ours  the  books  of  old, 
Thingsithat  steam  can  stamp  and  fold." 

I  believe  that  I  failed  to  notice,  among  the  varieties  of 
material  for  book-bindings  heretofore  enumerated,  some  of 
the  rarer  and  more  singular  styles.  Thus,  books  have  been 
bound  in  enamel,  (richly  variegated  in  color)  in  Persian 
silk,  in  seal-skin,  in  the  skin  of  the  rabbit,  white-bear, 
crocodile,  cat,  dog,  mole,  tiger,  otter,  bufTalo,  wolf,  and 
even  rattle-snake.  A  favorite  modern  leather  for  purses 
and  satchels,  alligator-skin,  has  been  also  applied  to  the 
clothing  of  books.  Many  eccentric  fancies  have  been  ex- 
emplified in  book-binding,  but  the  acme  of  gruesome  odd- 
ity has  been  reached  by  binding  books  in  human  skin,  of 
which  many  examples  are  on  record.  It  is  perhaps  three 
centuries  old,  but  the  first  considerable  instance  of  its  use 
grew  out  of  the  horrors  of  the  French  Revolution.  In 
England,  the  Bristol  law  li])rary  has  several  volumes  bound 
in  the  skin  of  local  criminals,  flayed  after  execution,  and 


78  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

specially  tanned  for  the  purpose.  It  is  described  as  rather 
darker  than  vellum.  A  Russian  poet  is  said  to  have  bound 
his  sonnets  in  human  leather — his  own  skin — taken  from 
a  broken  thigh — and  the  book  he  presented  to  the  lady  of 
his  alTections!  Such  ghoulish  incidents  as  these  afford 
curious  though  repulsive  glimpses  of  the  endless  vagaries 
of  human  nature. 

It  is  said  that  the  invention  of  half-binding  originated 
among  the  economists  of  Germany;  and  some  wealthy 
bibliophiles  have  stigmatized  this  style  of  dressing  books 
as  ''genteel  poverty."  But  its  utility  and  economy  have 
been  demonstrated  too  long  to  admit  of  any  doubt  that 
half-binding  has  come  to  stay;  while,  as  we  have  seen,  it 
is  also  capable  of  attractive  aesthetic  features.  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Matthews,  perhaps  the  foremost  of  American  binders, 
said  that  "a  book  when  neatly  forwarded,  and  cleanly 
covered,  is  in  a  very  satisfactory  condition  without  any 
finishing  or  decorating."  It  was  this  same  binder  who  ex- 
hibited at  the  New  York  World's  Fair  Exhibition  of  1853, 
a  copy  of  Owen  Jones's  xA.lhambra,  bound  by  him  in  full 
Eussia,  inlaid  with  blue  and  red  morocco,  with  gold  tool- 
ing all  executed  by  hand,  taking  six  months  to  complete, 
and  costing  the  binder  no  less  than  five  hundred  dollars. 

Book  lettering,  or  stamping  the  proper  title  on  the  back 
of  the  book,  is  a  matter  of  the  first  importance.  As  the 
titles  of  most  books  are  much  too  long  to  go  on  the  back, 
a  careful  selection  of  the  most  distinctive  words  becomes 
necessary.  Here  the  taste  and  judgment  of  the  librarian 
come  indispensably  into  play.  To  select  the  lettering  of 
a  book  should  never  be  left  to  the  binder,  because  it  is  not 
his  business,  and  because,  in  most  cases,  he  will  make  a  mis- 
take somewhere  in  the  matter.  From  want  of  care  on  this 
point,  many  libraries  are  filled  with  wrongly  lettered  books, 
misleading  titles,  and  blunders  as  ludicrous  as  they  are  dis- 


THE  AET  OF  BOOK-BIXDIXQ.  79 

tressing.  I  have  had  to  have  thousands  of  Tolumes  in  the 
Library  of  Congress  re-lettered.  A  copy  of  Lord  Bacon's 
"Sylva  Sylvarum"',  for  example,  was  lettered  "Verlum's 
S3'lTa" — because  the  sapient  binder  read  on  the  title-page 
"By  Baron  Yerulam",  and  it  was  not  liis  business  to  find 
out  that  this  was  the  title  of  honor  which  Bacon  bore;  so, 
by  a  compound  blunder,  he  converted  Yerulam  into  Ver- 
lum,  and  gave  the  book  to  an  unknown  writer.  This  is 
perhaps  an  extreme  case,  but  you  will  find  many  to  match 
it.  Another  folio,  Rochefort's  History  of  the  Caribby  Isl- 
ands, was  lettered  "Davies'  Carriby  Islaijds,"  because  the 
title  bore  the  statement  "Rendered  into  English  by  John 
Davies."  In  another  library,  the  great  work  of  the  nat- 
uralist, Buffon,  was  actually  lettered  "Buffoon's  Natural 
History."  Xeither  of  these  blunders  was  as  bad  as  that 
of  the  owner  of  an  elegant  black-letter  edition  of  a  Latin 
classic,  which  was  printed  without  title-page,  like  most 
fifteenth  century  books,  and  began  at  the  top  of  the  first 
leaf,  in  large  letters— "HOC  IXCIPIT,"  signifying  "This 
begins",  followed  by  tlie  title  or  subject  of  the  book.  The 
wiseacre  who  owned  it  had  the  book  riclily  bound,  and  di- 
rected it  to  be  lettered  on  the  back — "Works  of  Hoc  Inci- 
pit,  Rome,  1490."  This  is  a  true  story,  and  the  hero  of  it 
might  perhaps,  on  the  strength  of  owning  so  many  learned 
works,  have  passed  for  a  philosopher,*  if  he  had  not  taken 
the  pains  to  advertise  himself  as  a  blockhead. 

Some  of  the  commonest  blunders  are  stamping  on  the 
Ijack  the  translator's  or  the  editor's  name,  instead  of  that 
of  the  author  of  the  book;  putting  on  adjectives  instead 
of  substantives  for  titles;  modernizing  ancient  and  charac- 
teristic spelling,  found  in  the  title,  (the  exact  orthography 
of  which  should  always  be  followed);  mixing  np  the  num- 
ber and  the  case  of  Latin  titles,  and  those  in  other  foreign 


80  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

languages;  leaving  off  entirely  the  name  of  the  writer; 
and  lettering  periodicals  by  putting  on  the  volume  without 
the  year,  or  the  year,  without  the  number  of  the  volume. 
"No  one  but  an  idiot",  said  Mr.  C.  Walford  to  the  London 
Librarians'  Conference,  "would  send  his  books  to  the 
binder,  without  indicating  the  lettering  he  desires  on  the 
backs."  The  only  safe-guard  is  for  the  librarian  or  owner 
to  prescribe  on  a  written  slip  in  each  volume,  a  title  for 
every  book,  before  it  goes  to  the  binder,  who  will  be  only 
too  glad  to  have  his  own  time  saved — since  time  is  money 
to  him.  I  would  not  underrate  the  book-binders,  who  are 
a  most  worthy  and  intelligent  class,  numbering  in  their 
ranks  men  who  are  scholars  as  well  as  artists;  but  they  are 
concerned  chiefly  with  the  mechanics  and  not  with  the 
metaphysics  of  their  art,  and  moreover,  they  are  not  bound 
by  that  rigid  rule  which  should  govern  the  librarian — 
namely — to  have  no  ignoramus  about  the  premises. 

In  writing  letterings  (for  I  take  it  that  no  one  would 
be  guilty  of  defacing  his  title-pages  by  marking  them  up 
with  directions  to  the  binder)  you  should  definitely  write 
out  the  parts  of  the  title  as  they  are  to  run  on  the  back  of 
the  book,  spaced  line  upon  line,  and  not  "run  together." 
I  think  that  the  name  of  the  author  should  always  stand 
first  at  the  head  of  the  lettering,  because  it  affords  the 
quickest  guide  to  the  eye  in  finding  any  book,  as  well  as 
in  replacing  it  upon  the  shelves.  Especially  useful  and 
time-saving  is  this,  where  classes  of  books  are  arranged  in 
alphabetical  sequence.  Is  not  the  name  of  the  author 
commonly  uppermost  in  the  mind  of  the  searcher?  Then, 
let  it  be  uppermost  on  the  book  sought  also.  Follow  the 
name  of  the  author  by  the  briefest  possible  words  selected 
from  the  title  which  will  suffice  to  characterize  the  subject 
of  the  work.     Thus,  the  title — "On  the  Origin  of  Species 


THE   AKT    OF    BOOK-BINDING.  81 

by  means  of  Xatural  Selection'',  In'  Charles  Darwin,  should 
be  abbreviated  into 

D&Twin 


Origin  of  Species. 

Here  are  no  superfluous  words,  to  consume  the  binder's 
time  and  gold-leaf,  and  to  be  charged  in  the  bill;  or  to 
consume  the  time  of  the  book-searcher,  in  stopping  to 
read  a  lot  of  surplusage  on  the  back  of  the  book,  before 
seizing  it  for  immediate  use.  Books  in  several  volumes 
should  have  the  number  of  each  volume  plainly  marked  in 
Arabic  (not  Roman)  numerals  on  the  back.  The  old- 
fashioned  method  of  expressing  numerals  by  letters,  in- 
stead of  figures,  is  too  cumbrous  and  time-consuming  to  be 
tolerated.  You  want  to  letter,  we  will  say,  vol.  88  of 
Blackwood's  Magazine.  If  you  follow  the  title-page  of 
that  book,  as  printed,  you  have  to  write 

"Volume  LXXXYIII,"  eight  letters,  for  the  number  of 
the  volume,  instead  of  two  simple  figures — thus — 88. 

Xow  can  any  one  give  a  valid  reason  for  the  awkward  and 
tedious  method  of  notation  exhibited  in  the  Roman  numer- 
als? If  it  were  only  the  lost  time  of  the  person  who  writes 
it,  or  the  binder's  finisher  who  letters  it,  it  would  Ijo  com- 
paratively insignificant.  But  think  of  the  time  wasted  by 
the  whole  world  of  readers,  who  must  go  through  a  more  or 
less  troublesome  process  of  notation  before  they  get  a  clear 
notion  of  what  all  this  superfluous  stuff  stands  for,  in- 
stead of  the  quick  intuition  witli  which  they  take  in  the 
Arabic  figures;  and  who  must  moreover,  by  the  antiquated 
method,  take  valuable  time  to  write  out  LXXXVIII, 
eight  figures  instead  of  two,  to  say  nothing  of  the  added 
liability  to  error,  which  increases  in  the  exact  ratio  of  the 
number  of  figures  to  be  written.     Which   of  these   two 


82 


A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 


forms  of  expression  is  more  quickly  written,  or  stamped, 
or  read?  By  which  method  of  notation  will  the  library 
messenger  boys  or  girls  soonest  find  the  book?  This  leads 
me  to  say  what  cannot  be  too  strongly  insisted  upon;  all 
library  methods  should  be  time-saving  methods,  and  so 
devised  for  the  benefit  alike  of  the  librarian,  the  assistants, 
and  the  readers.  Until  one  has  learned  the  supreme  value 
of  moments,  he  will  not  be  fit  for  a  librarian.  The  same 
method  by  Arabic  numerals  only,  should  be  used  in  all 
references  to  books;  and  it  would  be  w^ell  if  the  legal 
fashion  of  citing  authorities  by  volume  and  page,  now 
adopted  in  most  law  books,  were  extended  to  all  literature 
— thus : 

"3  Macaulay's  England,  481.  K  Y.  1854,"  instead  of 
"Macaulay's  England,  K  Y.  ed.  1854.  vol.  3,  page  481." 
It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  to  all  librarians,  as  well  as 
to  the  reading  public,  that  Poole's  Indexes  to  Periodical 
Literature  have  wisely  adopted  Arabic  figures  only,  both 
for  volume  and  page.  The  valuable  time  thus  saved  to  all 
is  quite  incalculable. 

Every  book  which  is  leather-bound  has  its  back  divided 
off  into  panels  or  sections,  by  the  band  across  the  back  or 
by  the  gold  or  plain  fillet  or  roll  forming  part  of  the  finish 
of  the  book.  These  panels  are  usually  five  or  six  in  num- 
ber, the  former  being  the  more  common.  Now  it  is  the 
librarian's  function  to  prescribe  in  which  of  these  panels 
the  lettering  of  the  book — especially  where  there  is  double 
lettering — shall  go.     Thus 


2nd 
panel 


Cousin 
History 

OF 

Modern 
Philosophy. 


4th 
panel 


New 

York, 

1852. 


Many  books,  especially  dramatic  works,  and  the  collected 
works  of  authors  require  the  contents  of  the  various  vol- 


THE   ART    OF    BOOK-BINDING.  83 

umes  to  be  briefed  on  tbe  back.  Here  is  a  Shakespeare, 
for  example,  in  10  volumes,  or  a  Swift  in  19,  or  Carlyle  in 
33,  and  you  want  to  find  King  Lear,  or  Gulliver's  Travels, 
or  Heroes  and  Hero  Worship.  The  other  volumes  concern 
you  not — but  you  want  the  shortest  road  to  these.  If  the 
name  of  each  play  is  briefed  by  the  first  word  upon  the 
different  volumes  of  your  Shakespeare,  or  the  contents  of 
each  volume  upon  the  Swift  and  the  Carlyle, — as  they 
should  be — you  find  instantly  what  you  want,  with  one 
glance  of  the  e3^e  along  the  backs.  If  put  to  the  trouble 
of  opening  every  volume  to  find  the  contents,  or  of  hunt- 
ing it  in  the  index,  or  the  library  catalogue,  you  lose  pre- 
cious time,  while  readers  wait,  thus  making  the  needless 
delay  cumulative,  and  as  it  must  be  often  repeated,  inde- 
finite. 

Each  volume  should  have  its  date  and  place  of  publica- 
tion plainly  lettered  at  the  lower  end,  or  what  binders 
term  the  tail  of  the  book.  This  often  saves  time,  as  you 
may  not  want  an  edition  of  old  date,  or  vice  versa,  while  the 
place  and  date  enable  readers'  tickets  to  be  filled  out  quick- 
ly without  the  book.  The  name  of  the  library  might  well  be 
lettered  also  on  the  back,  being  more  obvious  as  a  perma- 
nent means  of  identification  than  the  book-plate  or  inside 
stamp. 

Books  should  never  be  used  when  fresh  from  the  binder's 
hands.  The  covers  are  then  always  damp,  and  warp  on 
exposure  to  air  and  heat.  Unless  pressed  firmly  in  shelves, 
or  in  piles,  for  at  least  two  weeks,  they  may  become  in- 
curably warped  out  of  shape.  Many  an  otherwise  hand- 
somely bound  book  is  ruined  by  neglect  of  this  caution,  for 
once  thoroughly  dried  in  its  warped  condition,  there  is  no 
remedy  save  the  costly  one  of  rebinding. 

Books  are  frequently  lettered  so  carelessly  that  iho 
titles  instead  of  aligning,  or  being  in  straight  horizontal 


84  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

lines,  run  obliquely  upward  or  downward,  thus  defacing 
the  volume.  Errors  in  spelling  words  are  also  liable  to 
occur.  All  crooked  lettering  and  all  mistakes  in  spelling 
should  at  once  be  rejected,  and  the  faulty  books  returned 
to  the  binder,  to  be  corrected  at  his  own  expense.  This 
«evere  revision  of  all  books  when  newly  bound,  before  they 
are  placed  upon  the  shelves,  should  be  done  by  the  libra- 
rian's or  owner's  own  eye — not  entrusted  to  subordinates, 
unless  to  one  thoroughly  skilled. 

One  should  never  receive  back  books  from  a  binder  with- 
out collating  them,  to  see  if  all  are  perfect  as  to  pages,  and 
if  all  plates  or  maps  are  in  place.  If  deficiencies  are  found, 
the  binder,  and  not  the  library  is  responsible,  provided  the 
book  was  known  to  be  perfect  when  sent  for  binding. 

In  the  Congressional  Library  I  had  the  periodicals  which 
are  analyzed  in  Poole's  Index  of  Periodical  Literature 
thoroughly  compared  and  re-lettered,  w^herever  necessary, 
to  make  the  series  of  volumes  correspond  with  the  refer- 
ences in  that  invaluable  and  labor-saving  index.  For  in- 
stance, the  Eclectic  Eeview,  as  published  in  London,  had 
eight  distinct  and  successive  series  (thus  confusing  refer- 
ence by  making  eight  different  volumes  called  1,  2,  3,  etc.) 
each  with  a  different  numbering,  "First  series,  2d  series," 
etc.,  which  Poole's  Index  very  properly  consolidated  into 
one,  for  convenient  reference.  By  adding  the  figures  as 
scheduled  in  that  work — prefixed  by  the  words  Poole's  In- 
dex No. or  simply  Poole,  in  small  letters,  followed  by 

the  figure  of  the  volume  as  given  in  that  index,  you  will 
find  a  saving  of  time  in  hunting  and  supplying  references 
that  is  almost  incalculable.  If  you  cannot  afford  to  have 
this  re-numbering  done  by  a  binder  in  gilt  letters,  it  will 
many  times  repay  the  cost  and  time  of  doing  it  on  thin 
manila  paper  titles,  written  or  printed  by  a  numbering 
machine  and  pasted  on  the  backs  of  the  volumes. 


THE   ART    OF    BOOK-BIXDIXG.  85 

In  all  periodicals, — magazines  and  serials  of  every  kind, 
— the  covers  and  their  advertisements  should  be  bound  in 
their  proper  place,  with  each  month  or  number  of  the 
periodical,  though  it  may  interrupt  the  continuity  of  the 
paging.  Thus  will  be  preserved  valuable  contemporary 
records  respecting  prices,  bibliographical  information,  etc.. 
which  should  never  be  destroyed,  as  it  is  illustrative 
of  the  life  and  history  of  the  period.  The  covers  of  the 
magazines,  too,  frequently  contain  the  table  of  contents  of 
the  number,  which  of  course  must  be  prefixed  to  it,  in  or- 
der to  be  of  any  use.  If  advertising  pages  are  very  numer- 
ous and  bulky,  (as  in  many  popular  periodicals  of  late 
years)  they  may  well  be  bound  at  the  end  of  the  volume,  or, 
if  so  many  as  to  make  the  volume  excessively  thick,  they 
might  be  bound  in  a  supplementary  volume.  In  all  books, 
half-titles  or  bastard  titles,  as  they  are  called,  should  be 
bound  in,  as  they  are  a  part  of  the  book. 

With  each  lot  of  books  to  be  bound,  there  should  always 
be  sent  a  sample  volume  of  good  work  as  a  pattern,  that 
the  binder  may  have  no  excuse  for  hasty  or  inferior  work- 
manship. 

The  0 roller  Club  was  founded  in  New  York  in  1884, 
having  for  its  objects  to  promote  the  literary  study  and 
progress  of  the  arts  pertaining  to  the  production  of  books. 
It  has  published  more  than  twenty  books  in  sumptuous 
style,  and  mostly  in  quarto  form,  the  editions  being  limited 
to  l;"iO  copies  at  first,  since  increased  to  300,  under  the 
rapidly  enlarging  membership  of  the  Club.  Most  of  these 
books  relate  to  fine  l)inding,  fine  printing,  or  fme  illustra- 
tion of  books,  or  arc  intended  to  exemplify  them,  and  by 
their  means,  by  lectures,  and  exhibitions  of  fine  book-work, 
this  society  has  contributed  riuicli  toward  the  diffusion  of 
correct  taste.  More  care  has  been  bestowed  upon  fine 
binding  in  New  York  than  in  London  itself.     In  fact,  ele- 


86  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

gant  book-binding  is  coming  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the 
foremost  of  the  decorative  arts. 

The  art  of  designing  book-covers  and  patterns  for  gild- 
ing books  has  engaged  the  talents  of  many  artists,  among 
whom  may  be  named  Edwin  A.  Abbey,  Howard  Pyle,  Stan- 
ford White,  and  Elihu  Vedder.  Nor  have  skilful  designs 
been  wanting  among  women,  as  witness  Mrs.  Whitman's 
elegant  tea-leaf  border  for  the  cover  of  Dr.  0.  W.  Holmes's 
"Over  tlie  Tea-cups/'  and  Miss  Alice  Morse's  arabesques 
and  medallions  for  Lafcadio  Hearn's  "Two  Years  in  the 
French  West  Indies."  Miss  May  Morris  designed  many 
tasteful  letters  for  the  fine  bindings  executed  by  Mr.  Cob- 
den-Sanderson  of  London,  and  Kate  Greenaway's  many 
exquisite  little  books  for  little  people  have  become  widely 
known  for  their  quaint  and  curious  cover  designs.  A  new 
field  thus  opens  for  skilled  cultivators  of  the  beautiful  who 
have  an  eye  for  the  art  of  drawing. 

Mr.  William  Matthews,  the  accomplished  Xew  York 
binder,  in  an  address  before  the  Grolier  Club  in  1895,  said: 
"I  have  been  astonished  that  so  few  women — in  America, 
I  know  none — are  encouragers  of  the  art;  they  certainly 
could  not  bestow  their  taste  on  anything  that  would  do 
them  more  credit,  or  as  a  study,  give  them  more  satisfac- 
tion." It  is  but  fair  to  add  that  since  this  judgment  was 
put  forth,  its  implied  reproach  is  no  longer  applicable:  a 
number  of  American  women  have  interested  themselves  in 
the  study  of  binding  as  a  fine  art;  and  some  few  in  prac- 
tical work  as  binders  of  books. 

There  is  no  question  that  readers  take  a  greater  interest 
in  books  that  are  neatly  and  attractively  bound,  than  in 
volumes  dressed  in  a  mean  garb.  ISTo  book  owner  or  libra- 
rian with  any  knowledge  of  the  incurable  defects  of  calf, 
sheep,  or  roan  leather,  if  he  has  any  regard  for  the  useful- 
ness or  the  economies  of  his  library,  will  use  them  in  bind- 


THE   ART   OF    BOOK-BINDING.  87 

ing  books  that  are  to  possess  permanent  value  in  personal 
or  public  use.  True  economy  lies  in  employing  the  best 
description  of  binding  in  the  first  instance. 

When  it  is  considered  that  the  purposed  object  of  book- 
binding is  to  preserve  in  a  shape  at  once  attractive  and  per- 
manent, the  best  and  noblest  thoughts  of  man,  it  rises  to  a 
high  rank  among  the  arts.  Side  by  side  with  printing,  it 
strives  after  that  perfection  which  shall  ensure  the  per- 
petuity of  human  thought.  Thus  a  book,  clothed  in  mo- 
rocco, is  not  a  mere  piece  of  mechanism,  but  a  vehicle  in 
which  the  intellectual  life  of  writers  no  longer  on  earth  is 
transmitted  from  age  to  age.  And  it  is  the  art  of  book- 
binding which  renders  libraries  possible.  What  the 
author,  the  printer,  and  the  binder  create,  the  library  takes 
charge  of  and  preserves.  It  is  thus  that  the  material  and 
the  practical  link  themselves  indissolubly  with  the  ideal. 
And  the  ideal  of  every  true  librarian  should  be  so  to  care 
for  the  embodiments  of  intelligence  entrusted  to  his  guard- 
ianship, that  they  may  become  in  the  highest  degree  use- 
ful to  mankind.  In  this  sense,  the  care  bestowed  upon 
thoroii£rh  and  enduring  binrling  can  hardly  be  overrated, 
since  the  life  of  the  book  depends  upon  it. 


CHAPTER  4. 

Prepailvtion  for  the  Shelves:  Book  Plates,  etc. 

When  any  lot  of  books  is  acquired,  whether  by  purchase 
from  book-dealers  or  from  auction,  or  by  presentation,  the 
first  step  to  be  taken,  after  seeing  that  they  agree  with  the 
Inll,  and  have  l)een  collated,  in  accordance  with  methods 
elsewhere  given,  should  be  to  stamp  and  label  each  volume, 
as  the  property  of  the  library.  These  two  processes  are 
quite  distinct,  and  may  be  performed  by  one  or  two  per- 
sons, according  to  convenience,  or  to  the  library  force  em- 
ployed. The  stamp  may  be  the  ordinary  rubber  one,  inked 
by  striking  on  a  pad,  and  ink  of  any  color  may  be  used, 
although  black  or  blue  ink  has  the  neatest  appearance. 
The  stamp  should  bear  the  name  of  the  library,  in  clear, 
legible,  plain  type,  with  year  of  acquisition  of  the  book  in 
the  centre,  followed  by  the  month  and  day  if  desired.  A 
more  permanent  kind  of  stamp  is  the  embossing  stamp, 
which  is  a  steel  die,  the  letters  cut  in  relief,  but  it  is  very 
expensive  and  slow,  requiring  the  leaf  to  be  inserted  be- 
tween the  two  parts  of  the  stamp,  though  the  impression, 
once  made,  is  practically  indelible. 

The  size  of  the  stamp  (which  is  preferably  oval  in  shape) 
should  not  exceed  1^  to  1|  inches  in  diameter,  as  a  large, 
coarse  stamp  never  presents  a  neat  appearance  on  a  book. 
Indeed,  many  books  are  too  small  to  admit  any  but  a  stamp 
of  very  moderate  dimensions.  The  books  should  be  stamp- 
ed on  the  verso  (reverse)  of  the  title  page,  or  if  preferred, 
on  the  widest  unprinted  portion  of  the  title-page,  prefer- 
ably on  the  right  hand  of  the  centre,  or  just  below  the  cen- 
tre on  the  right.     This,  because  its  impression  is  far  more 

(88) 


PEEPARATION    FOR   THE   SHELVES.  89 

legible  on  the  plain  white  surface  than  on  any  part  of  the 
printed  title.  In  a  circulating  library,  the  stamps  should 
be  impressed  on  one  or  more  pages  in  the  body  of  the  book, 
as  well  as  on  the  last  page,  as  a  means  of  identification 
if  the  book  is  stolen  or  otherwise  lost;  as  it  is  very  easy  to 
erase  the  impression  of  a  rubber  stamp  from  the  title-page, 
and  thereby  commit  a  fraud  by  appropriating  or  selling  the 
book.  In  such  a  case,  the  duplicate  or  triplicate  impres- 
sion of  the  stamp  on  some  subsequent  page  (say  page  5  or 
16,  many  books  having  but  few  pages)  as  fixed  upon  by  the 
librarian,  is  quite  likely  to  escape  notice  of  the  thief,  while 
it  remains  a  safe-guard,  enabling  the  librarian  to  reclaim 
the  book,  wherever  found.  The  law  will  enforce  this  right 
of  free  reclamation  in  favor  of  a  public  library,  in  the  case 
of  stolen  books,  no  matter  in  wliat  hands  found,  and  even 
though  the  last  holder  may  be  an  innocent  purchaser.  All 
libraries  are  victimized  at  some  time  by  unscrupulous  or 
dishonest  readers,  who  will  appropriate  books,  thinking 
themselves  safe  from  detection,  and  sometimes  easing  their 
consciences,  (if  they  have  any)  by  the  plea  that  the  book  is 
in  a  measure  public  property. 

In  these  cases,  there  is  no  absolute  safe-guard,  as  it  is 
easy  to  carry  off  a  book  under  one's  coat,  and  the  librarian 
and  his  few  aids  are  far  too  busy  to  act  as  detectives  in 
watching  readers.  Still,  a  vigilant  librarian  will  almost 
always  find  out,  by  some  suspicious  circumstance — such  as 
the  hiding  of  books  away,  or  a  certain  furtive  action  ob- 
served in  a  reader — who  are  the  persons  that  should  be 
watched,  and  when  it  is  advisable  to  call  in  the  policeman. 

The  British  Museum  Library,  which  has  no  circulation 
or  book  Icnrling,  enforces  a  rule  tliat  no  one  making  his 
exit  can  have  a  book  witli  him,  unless  checked  as  his  own 
property,  all  overcoats  and  other  wraps  being  of  course 
checked  at  the  door. 


90  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

It  is  a  melancholy  fact,  duly  recorded  in  a  Massachusetts 
paper,  that  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  volumes, 
duly  labeled  and  stamped  as  public  library  books,  were 
stolen  from  a  single  library  in  a  single  year,  and  sold  to 
second-hand  booksellers. 

The  impression  of  the  stamp  in  the  middle  of  a  certain 
page,  known  to  the  librarian,  renders  it  less  liable  to  de- 
tection by  others,  while  if  stamped  on  the  lower  unprinted 
margin,  it  might  be  cut  out  by  a  designing  person. 

Next  to  the  stamping,  comes  the  labeling  of  the  books 
to  be  added  to  the  library.  Tliis  is  a  mechanical  process, 
and  yet  one  of  much  importance.  Upon  its  being  done 
neatly  and  properly,  depends  the  good  or  bad  appearance 
of  the  library  books,  as  labels  with  rough  or  ragged  edges, 
or  put  on  askew,  or  trimmed  irregularly  at  their  margins, 
present  an  ugly  and  unfinished  aspect,  offensive  to  the  eye 
of  good  taste,  and  reflecting  discredit  on  the  management. 
A  librarian  should  take  pride  in  seeing  all  details  of  his 
work  carefully  and  neatly  carried  out.  If  he  cannot  have 
perfection,  from  want  of  time,  he  should  always  aim  at  it, 
at  least,  and  then  only  will  he  come  near  to  achieving  it. 

The  label,  or  book-plate  (for  they  are  one  and  the  same 
thing)  should  be  of  convenient  size  to  go  into  books  both 
small  and  large;  and  a  good  size  is  approximately  2^  inches 
wide  by  1^  inches  high  when  trimmed.  As  comparatively 
few  libraries  care  to  go  to  the  expense,  which  is  about  ten 
times  that  of  printing,  of  an  engraved  label  (although  such 
work  adds  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  books  containing  it) 
it  should  be  printed  in  clear,  not  ornamental  type,  with 
the  name  of  the  library,  that  of  the  city  or  town  in  which 
it  is  located  (unless  forming  a  part  of  the  title)  and  the 
abbreviation  No.  for  number,  with  such  other  spaces  for 
section  marks  or  divisions,  shelf-marks,  etc.,  as  the  classi- 
fication adopted  may  require.     The  whole  should  be  en- 


PREPARATION    FOR    THE    SHELVES.  91 

closed  in  an  ornamental  border — not  too  ornate  for  good 
taste. 

The  labels,  nicely  trimmed  to  uniform  size  by  a  cutting 
machine,  (if  that  is  not  in  the  library  equipment,  any 
binder  will  do  it  for  you)  are  next  to  be  pasted  or  gummed, 
as  preferred.  This  process  is  a  nice  one,  requiring 
patience,  care,  and  practice.  Most  libraries  are  full  of 
books  imperfectly  labelled,  pasted  on  in  crooked  fashion,  or 
perhaps  damaging  the  end-leaves  by  an  over-use  of  paste, 
causing  the  leaves  to  adhere  to  the  page  labelled — which 
should  always  be  the  inside  left  hand  cover  of  the  book. 
This  slovenly  work  is  unworthy  of  a  skilled  librarian,  who 
should  not  suffer  torn  waste  leaves,  nor  daubs  of  over-run- 
ning paste  in  any  of  his  books.  To  prevent  both  these 
blunders  in  library  economy,  it  is  only  needful  to  instruct 
any  intelligent  assistant  thoroughly,  by  practical  example 
how  to  do  it — accompanied  by  a  counter-example  how  not 
to  do  it.  The  way  to  do  it  is  to  have  your  paste  as  thin  as 
that  used  by  binders  in  pasting  their  fly-leaves,  or  their 
leather,  or  about  the  consistency  of  porridge  or  pea  soup. 
Then  lay  the  label  or  book-plate  face  downward  on  a  board 
or  table  covered  with  blotting  paper,  dip  your  paste  brush 
(a  half  inch  bristle  brush  is  the  best)  in  the  paste,  stroke  it 
(to  remove  too  much  adhering  matter)  on  the  inner  side  of 
your  paste  cup,  then  apply  it  across  the  whole  surface  of 
the  label,  with  light,  even  strokes  of  the  brush,  until  you 
sec  that  it  is  all  moistened  with  paste.  Next,  take  up  the 
label  and  lay  it  evenly  in  the  middle  of  the  left  inner  cover 
page  of  the  book  to  be  labelled,  and  with  a  small  piece  of 
paper  (not  with  the  naked  fingers)  laid  over  it,  stroke  it 
down  firmly  in  its  place,  l)y  ruljl)ing  over  a  few  times  the 
incumbent  paper.  This  ])eing  properly  done  (and  it  is 
done  by  on  ex])ert,  once  learned,  very  rapidly)  your  Ixxtk- 
plate  will  be  firmly  and  smoothly  pasted  in,  with  no  exud- 


92  A   BOOK   FOR    ALL    READERS. 

ing  of  paste  at  the  edges,  to  spoil  the  lly-leaves,  and  no 
curling  up  of  edges  because  insufficiently  pasted  down. 

So  much  for  the  book-plate — for  the  inside  of  the  vol- 
umes; now  let  us  turn  attention  to  the  outside  label.  This 
is  necessarily  very  much  smaller  than  the  book-plate:  in 
fact,  it  should  not  be  larger  than  three-quarters  or  seven- 
eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  even  smaller  for  the 
thinner  volumes,  while  in  the  case  of  the  very  smallest,  or 
tliinnest  of  books,  it  becomes  necessary  to  paste  the  labels 
on  the  side,  instead  of  on  the  back.  This  label  is  to  con- 
tain the  section  and  shelf-mark  of  the  book,  marked  by 
plain  figures,  according  to  the  plan  of  classification  adopt- 
ed. When  well  done,  it  is  an  inexpressible  comfort  to  any 
librarian,  because  it  shows  at  one  glance  of  the  eye,  and 
without  opening  the  book  at  all,  just  where  in  the  wide 
range  of  the  miscellaneous  library  it  is  to  go.  Thus  the 
book  service  of  every  day  is  incalculably  aided,  and  the 
books  are  both  found  when  sought  on  the  shelves,  and  re- 
placed there,  with  no  trouble  of  opening  them. 

This  outer-label  system  once  established,  in  strict  corre- 
spondence with  the  catalogue,  the  only  part  of  the  libra- 
rian's work  remaining  to  be  prescribed  in  this  field,  con- 
cerns the  kind  of  label  to  be  selected,  and  the  method  of 
affixing  them  to  the  books.  The  adhesive  gummed  labels 
furnished  by  the  Library  Bureau,  or  those  manufactured 
by  the  Dennison  Company  of  !N^ew  York  have  the  requisite 
qualities  for  practical  use.  They  may  be  purchased  in 
sheets,  or  cut  apart,  as  convenient  handling  may  dictate. 
Having  first  written  in  ink  in  plain  figures,  as  large  as  the 
labels  will  bear,  the  proper  locality  marks,  take  a  label 
moistener  (a  hollow  tube  filled  with  water,  provided  with  a 
bit  of  sponge  at  the  end  and  sold  by  stationers)  and  wet 
the  label  throughout  its  surface,  then  fix  it  on  the  back  of 
the  book,  on  the  smooth  part  of  the  binding  near  the  lower 


PREPARATION"    FOR   THE    SHELVES.  93 

end,  and  ^vith  a  piece  of  paper  (not  the  fingers)  press  it 
down  firmly  to  its  place  by  repeated  rubbings.  If  thor- 
oughly done,  the  labels  will  not  peel  off  nor  curl  up  at  the 
edges  for  a  long  time.  Under  much  usage  of  the  volumes, 
however,  they  must  occasionally  be  renewed. 

When  the  books  being  prepared  for  the  shelves  have  all 
been  duly  collated,  labelled  and  stamped,  processes  which 
should  precede  cataloguing  them,  they  are  next  ready  for 
the  cataloguer.  His  functions  having  been  elsewhere  de- 
scribed, it  need  only  be  said  that  the  books  when  cata- 
logued and  handed  over  to  the  reviser,  (or  whoever  is  to 
scrutinize  the  titles  and  assign  them  their  proper  places  in 
the  library  classification)  are  to  have  the  shelf-marks  of 
the  card-titles  written  on  the  inside  labels,  as  well  as  upon 
the  outside. 

When  this  is  done,  the  title-cards  can  be  withdrawn  and 
alphabeted  in  the  catalogue  drawers.  Next,  all  the  books 
thus  catalogued,  labelled,  and  supposed  to  be  ready  for  the 
shelves,  should  be  examined  with  reference  to  three  points: 

1st.  Whether  any  of  the  volumes  need  re-lettering. 

2nd.  Whether  any  of  them  require  re-binding. 

3rd.  If  any  of  the  bindings  are  in  need  of  repair. 

In  any  lot  of  books  purchased  or  presented,  arc  almost 
always  to  be  found  some  that  are  wrongly  or  imperfectly 
lettered  on  the  back.  Before  these  are  ready  for  the 
shelves,  they  should  be  carefully  gone  through  with,  and 
all  errors  or  shortcomings  corrected.  It  is  needful  to  send 
to  the  binder 

1st.  All  books  which  lack  the  name  of  the  author  on  the 
back.  This  should  be  stamped  ])y  the  liinder  at  the  head, 
if  there  is  room — if  not,  in  the  middle  panel  on  the  back 
of  the  book. 

2nd.  All  books  lettered  with  mis-spelled  words. 

3rd.  All   volumes  in   sets,   embracing  several   distinct 


94  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

works — to  have  the  name  of  each  book  in  the  contents 
plainly  stamped  on  the  outside. 

4th.  All  books  wliolly  without  titles  on  the  back,  of 
which  many  are  pul)lishcd — the  title  being  frequently 
given  on  the  side  only,  or  in  the  interior  alone. 

5th.  All  periodicals  having  the  volume  on  the  back, 
without  the  year,  to  have  the  year  lettered ;  and  periodicals 
having  the  year,  but  not  the  volume,  are  to  have  the  num- 
ber of  the  volume  added. 

If  these  things,  all  essential  to  good  management  and 
prompt  library  service,  are  not  done  before  the  books  go  to 
their  shelves,  the  chances  are  that  they  will  not  be  done  at 
all. 

The  second  requisite  to  be  attended  to  is  to  examine 
whether  any  of  the  volumes  catalogued  require  to  be  bound 
or  re-bound.  In  any  lot  of  books  of  considerable  extent, 
there  will  always  be  some  (especially  if  from  auction  sales) 
dilapidated  and  shaken,  so  as  to  unlit  them  for  use.  There 
will  be  others  so  soiled  in  the  bindings  or  the  edges  as  to 
be  positively  shabby,  and  they  should  be  re-bound  to  ren- 
der them  presentable. 

The  third  point  demanding  attention  is  to  see  what  vol- 
umes need  repair.  It  very  often  happens  that  books  other- 
wise pretty  well  bound  have  torn  corners,  or  rubbed  or 
shop-worn  backs,  or  shabby  marbled  paper  frayed  at  the 
sides,  or  some  other  defect,  which  may  be  cured  by  mend- 
ing or  furbishing  up,  without  re-binding.  This  a  skilful 
binder  is  always  competent  to  take  in  charge ;  and  as  in  the 
other  cases,  it  should  have  attention  immediately  upon  the 
acquisition  of  the  books. 

All  books  coming  into  a  library  which  contain  auto- 
graphs, book-plates  of  former  owners,  coats  of  arms,  pre- 
sentation inscriptions  from  the  author,  monograms,  or 


PEEPARATIOX  FOR  THE  SHELVES.  96 

other  distinguishing  features,  should  preserve  them  as  of 
interest  to  the  present  or  the  future. 

And  all  printed  paper  covers  should  be  carefully  pre- 
served by  binding  them  inside  the  new  cover  which  the 
book  receives,  thus  preserving  authentic  evidence  of  the 
form  in  which  the  book  was  first  issued  to  the  public,  and 
often  its  original  price.  In  like  manner,  when  a  cloth- 
bound  book  comes  to  re-binding,  its  side  and  back  covers 
may  be  bound  in  at  the  end  of  the  book,  as  showing  the 
style  in  which  it  was  originally  issued,  frequently  display- 
ing much  artistic  beauty. 

Whoever  receives  back  any  books  which  have  been  out  in 
circulation,  whether  it  be  the  librarian  or  assistant,  must 
examine  each  volume,  to  see  if  it  is  in  apparent  good  order. 
If  it  is  found  (as  frequently  happens)  that  it  is  shaky  and 
loose,  or  if  leaves  are  ready  to  drop  out,  or  if  the  cover  is 
nearly  off,  it  should  never  be  allowed  to  go  back  to  the 
shelves,  but  laid  aside  for  re-binding  or  repair  with  the 
next  lot  sent  to  the  binder.  Only  prompt  vigilance  on  this 
point,  combined  with  the  requirement  of  speedy  return  by 
the  binder,  will  save  the  loss  or  injury  beyond  repair  of 
many  books.  Tt  will  also  save  the  patrons  of  the  library 
from  the  frequent  inconvenience  of  having  to  do  without 
books,  which  should  be  on  the  shelves  for  their  use.  How 
frequent  this  sending  of  books  to  repair  should  be,  cannot 
be  settled  by  any  arbitrary  rule;  but  it  would  be  wise,  in 
the  interest  of  all,  to  do  it  as  often  as  two  or  three  dozen 
damaged  books  are  accumulated. 

If  you  find  other  injury  to  a  book  returned,  than  the 
natural  wear  and  tear  that  the  li])rary  must  assume,  if  a 
book,  for  example,  is  blotched  with  ink,  or  soiled  with 
grease,  or  has  been  so  far  wet  as  to  })e  badly  stained  in  the 
leaves,  or  if  it  is  found  torn  in  any  part  on  a  hasty  inspec- 
tion, rir  if  a  platf  or  a  map  is  missing,  or  the  binding  is 


!)6  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL   READEES. 

violently  broken  (as  sometimes  happens)  then  the  damage 
should  be  borne  by  the  reader,  and  not  by  the  library. 
This  will  sometimes  require  the  purchase  of  a  fresh  copy 
of  the  book,  which  no  fair-minded  reader  can  object  to 
pay,  who  is  favored  with  the  privileges  of  free  enjoyment 
of  the  treasures  of  a  public  library.  Indeed,  it  will  be 
found  in  the  majority  of  cases  that  honest  readers  tliem- 
selves  call  attention  to  such  injuries  as  books  have  acci- 
dentally received  while  in  their  possession,  with  voluntary 
offer  to  make  good  the  damage. 

All  unbound  or  paper  covered  volumes  should  be  re- 
served from  the  shelves,  and  not  supplied  to  readers  until 
bound.  This  rule  may  be  relaxed  (as  there  is  almost  no 
rule  without  some  valid  exception)  in  the  case  of  a  popular 
new  book,  issued  only  in  paper  covers,  if  it  is  desired  to 
give  an  opportunity  of  early  perusal  to  readers  frequenting 
the  library.  But  such  books  should  not  be  permitted  to 
circulate,  as  they  would  soon  be  worn  to  pieces  b}'  hand- 
ling. Only  books  dressed  in  a  substantial  covering  are  fit 
to  be  loaned  out  of  any  library.  In  preparing  for  the 
bindery  any  new  books,  or  old  ones  to  be  re-bound  or  re- 
paired, lists  should  be  made  of  any  convenient  number  set 
apart  for  the  purpose,  prompt  return  should  be  required, 
and  all  should  be  checked  off  on  the  list  when  returned. 

N"o  shelf  in  a  well-regulated  library  should  be  unpro- 
vided with  book-supports,  in  order  to  prevent  the  volumes 
from  sagging  and  straining  by  falling  against  one  another, 
in  a  long  row  of  books.  Numerous  different  devices  are 
in  the  market  for  this  purpose,  from  the  solid  brick  to  the 
light  sheet-iron  support ;  but  it  is  important  to  protect  the 
end  of  every  row  from  strain  on  the  bindings,  and  the  cost 
of  book  supports  is  indefinitely  less  than  that  of  the  re- 
binding  entailed  by  neglecting  to  use  them. 

Some  libraries  of  circulation  make  it  a  rule  to  cover  all 


PBEPAEATIOX    FOR   THE   SHELVES,  97 

their  books  with  paper  or  thin  muslin  covers,  before  they 
are  placed  on  the  shelves  for  use.  This  method  has  its  ad- 
vantages and  its  drawbacks.  It  doubtless  protects  the 
bindings  from  soiling,  and  where  books  circulate  widely 
and  long,  no  one  who  has  seen  how  foul  with  dirt  they  be- 
come, can  doubt  the  expediency  of  at  least  trying  the  ex- 
periment of  clean  covers.  They  should  be  of  the  firmest 
thin  but  tough  Manila  paper,  and  it  is  claimed  that  twenty 
renewals  of  clean  paper  covers  actually  cost  less  than  one 
re-binding.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that 
books  thus  covered  look  shabby,  monotonous,  and  unin- 
teresting. In  the  library  used  for  reference  and  reading 
only,  without  circulation,  covers  are  quite  out  of  place. 

Book-plates  having  been  briefly  referred  to  above,  a  few 
words  as  to  their  styles  and  uses  may  here  be  pertinent. 
The  name  "book-plate"  is  a  clumsy  and  misleading  title, 
suggesting  to  the  uninitiated  the  illustrations  or  plates 
which  embellish  the  text  of  a  book.  The  name  Ex  libris, 
two  latin  words  used  for  book-plate  in  all  European  lan- 
guages, is  clearer,  but  still  not  exact,  as  a  definition  of  the 
thing,  signifying  simply  "out  of  books."  A  book-plate  is 
the  owner's  or  the  library's  distinctive  mark  of  ownership, 
pasted  upon  the  inside  cover,  whether  it  be  a  simple  name- 
label,  or  an  elaborately  engraved  heraldic  or  pictorial  de- 
vice. The  earliest  known  book-plates  date  back  to  the  fif- 
teenth century,  and  are  of  German  origin,  though  English 
plates  are  known  as  early  as  1700.  In  France,  specimens 
appear  for  the  first  time  between  IGOO  and  1650. 

Foreign  book-plates  are,  as  a  rule,  heraldic  in  design,  as 
are  also  the  early  American  plates,  representing  the  coat  of 
arms  or  family  crest  of  the  owner  of  the  books,  with  a 
motto  of  some  kind.  The  fashion  of  collecting  these  own- 
ers' marks,  as  such,  irrespective  of  the  l)Ooks  containing 
them,  is  a  recent  and  very  possibly  a  passing  mania.     Still, 


98  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

there  is  something  of  interest  in  early  American  plates, 
and  in  those  used  by  distinguished  men,  aside  from  the  col- 
lector's fad.  Some  of  the  first  American  engravers  showed 
their  skill  in  these  designs,  and  a  signed  and  dated  plate 
engraved  by  Nathaniel  Hurd,  for  example,  of  Boston,  is  of 
some  historic  value  as  an  example  of  early  American  art. 
He  engraved  many  plates  about  the  middle  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, and  died  in  1777.  Paul  Eevere,  who  was  an  en- 
graver, designed  and  executed  some  few  plates,  which  are 
rare,  and  highly  prized,  more  for  his  name  than  for  liis 
skill,  for,  as  generally  kno\vTi,  he  was  a  noted  patriot  of  the 
Eevolutionary  period,  belonging  by  his  acts  to  the  heroic 
age  of  American  history. 

A  book  of  George  Washington's  containing  his  book- 
plate has  an  added  interest,  though  the  plate  itself  is  an 
armorial  design,  not  at  all  well  executed.  Its  motto  is 
"exitus  acta  prohat" — the  event  justifies  the  deed.  From 
its  rarity  and  the  high  price  it  commands,  it  has  probably 
been  the  only  American  book-plate  ever  counterfeited. 
At  an  auction  sale  of  books  in  Washington  in  1863,  this 
counterfeit  plate  had  been  placed  in  many  books  to  give  a 
fictitious  value,  but  the  fraud  was  discovered  and  an- 
nounced by  the  present  writer,  just  before  the  books  were 
sold.  Yet  the  sale  was  attended  by  many  attracted  to  bid 
upon  books  said  to  have  been  owned  by  Washington,  and 
among  them  the  late  Dr.  W.  F.  Poole,  then  librarian  of  the 
Boston  Athenaeum,  which  possesses  most  of  the  library 
authentically  known  to  have  been  at  Mount  Vernon. 

John  Adams  and  John  Quincy  Adams  used  book-plates, 
and  James  Monroe  and  John  Tyler  each  had  a  plain  name- 
label.  These  are  all  of  our  presidents  known  to  have  used 
them,  except  General  Garfield,  who  had  a  printed  book- 
plate of  simple  design,  with  the  motto  "inter  folia  frudus." 
Eleven  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 


PEEPARATIOX    FOR    THE    SHELVES.  99 

are  known  to  have  had  these  signs  of  gentle  birth — for  in 
the  early  years  of  the  American  Colonies,  it  was  only  the 
families  of  aristocratic  connection  and  scholarly  tastes  who 
indulged  in  what  may  be  termed  a  superfluous  luxury. 

The  plates  used  among  the  Southern  settlers  were  gener- 
ally ordered  from  England,  and  not  at  ail  American.  The 
Xorthern  plates  were  more  frequently  of  native  design  and 
execution,  and  therefore  of  much  greater  value  and  inter- 
est, though  far  inferior  in  style  of  workmanship  and  elabo- 
ration of  ornament  to  the  best  European  ones. 

The  ordinary  library  label  is  also  a  book-plate,  and  some 
of  the  early  libraries  and  small  collections  have  elaborate 
designs.  The  early  Harvard  College  library  plate  was  a 
large  and  fine  piece  of  engraving  by  Hurd.  The  Harvard 
Library  had  some  few  of  this  fine  engraved  label  printed 
in  red  ink,  and  placed  in  the  rarer  books  of  the  library — 
as  a  reminder  that  the  works  containing  the  rubricated 
book-plates  were  not  to  be  drawn  out  by  students. 

The  learned  bibliophile  and  librarian  of  Florence,  Mag- 
liabecchi,  who  died  in  1714,  devised  for  his  library  of  thirty 
thousand  volumes,  Avhich  he  bequeathed  to  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  a  book-plate  representing  his  own  pro- 
file on  a  medal  surrounded  with  books  and  oak  boughs, 
with  the  inscription — "Antonius  Magliabecchius  Floren- 
tinus." 

Some  book-platoR  embody  designs  of  great  beauty.  The 
late  George  Bancroft's,  engraved  on  copper,  represented  a 
winged  cherub  (from  Raphael)  gazing  sun-ward,  holding  a 
tablet  with  the  inscription  "Eia  pliaos"  toward  the  light. 

Some  French  book-plates  aim  at  humor  or  caricature. 
One  familiar  example  represents  an  old  book-worm  mount- 
ed on  a  tall  ladder  in  a  li])rary,  profoundly  absorbed  in 
reading,  and  utterly  unconscious  that  the  room  beneath 
him  is  on  fire. 


100  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

To  those  who  ask  of  what  possible  utility  it  can  be  to 
cultivate  so  unfruitful  a  pursuit  as  the  devising  or  the  col- 
lecting of  book-plates,  it  may  be  pertinent  to  state  the 
claim  made  in  behalf  of  the  amateurs  of  this  art,  by  a  con- 
noisseur, namely,  "Book-plates  foster  the  study  of  art,  his- 
tory, genealog}%  and  human  character."  On  this  theory, 
we  may  add,  the  coat  of  arms  or  family  crest  teaches  her- 
aldry; the  mottoes  or  inscriptions  chosen  cultivate  the 
taste  for  language  and  sententious  literature;  the  engrav- 
ing appeals  to  the  sense  of  the  artistic;  the  names  of  early 
or  ancient  families  who  are  often  thus  commemorated 
teach  biography,  history,  or  genealogy;  while  the  great  va- 
riety of  sentiments  selected  for  the  plates  illustrate  the 
character  and  taste  of  those  selecting  them. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  said  that  the  coat  of  arms 
fails  to  indicate  individual  taste  or  genius,  and  might  bet- 
ter be  supplanted  by  original  and  characteristic  designs, 
especially  such  as  relate  to  books,  libraries,  and  learning. 


CHAPTER  5. 
The  Enemies  of  Books. 

We  have  seen  in  former  chapters  how  the  books  of  a 
library  are  acquired,  how  they  are  prepared  for  the  shelves, 
or  for  use,  and  how  they  are  or  should  be  bound.  Let  us 
now  consider  the  important  questions  which  involve  the 
care,  the  protection,  and  the  preservation  of  the  books. 

Every  librarian  or  book  owner  should  be  something  more 
than  a  custodian  of  the  books  in  his  collection.  He  should 
also  exercise  perpetual  vigilance  with  regard  to  their  safety 
and  condition.  The  books  of  every  library  are  beset  by 
dangers  and  by  enemies.  Some  of  these  are  open  and  pal- 
pable ;  others  are  secret,  illusive,  little  suspected,  and  liable 
to  come  unlooked  for  and  without  warning.  Some  of 
these  enemies  are  impersonal  and  immaterial,  but  none  the 
less  deadly;  others  are  personally  human  in  form,  but  most 
inliuiiian  in  their  careless  and  Ijrutal  treatment  of  books. 
Plow  far  and  how  fatally  the  books  of  many  libraries  have 
been  injured  by  these  ever  active  and  persistent  enemies 
can  never  be  adequately  told.  But  we  may  point  out  what 
the  several  dangers  are  which  beset  them,  and  how  far  the 
watchful  care  of  the  librarian  and  his  assistants  may  fore- 
stall or  prevent  them. 

One  of  the  foremost  of  the  inanimate  enemies  of  books  is 
dust.  In  some  libraries  the  atmosphere  is  dust-laden,  to  a 
degree  which  seems  incredililo  until  you  witness  its  results 
in  the  deposits  U])on  books,  which  soil  your  fingers,  and 
contaminate  the  air  you  breathe,  as  you  Ijrush  or  blow  it 
away.  Peculiarly  liable  to  dust  are  library  rooms  located 
in  populous  towns,  or  in  business  streets,  and  built  close  to 

(101) 


102  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

the  avenues  of  traffic.  Here,  the  dust  is  driven  in  at  the 
windows  and  doors  by  every  breeze  that  blows.  It  is  an 
omnipresent  evil,  that  cannot  be  escaped  or  very  largely 
remedied.  As  preventive  measures,  care  should  be  taken 
not  to  build  libraries  too  near  the  street,  but  to  have  ample 
front  and  side  yards  to  isolate  the  books  as  far  as  may  be 
consistent  with  convenient  access.  Where  the  library  is 
already  located  immediately  on  the  street,  a  subscription 
for  sprinkling  the  thoroughfare  with  water,  the  year 
round,  would  be  true  economy. 

In  some  cities,  the  evils  of  street  dust  are  supplemented 
by  the  mischiefs  of  coal  smoke,  to  an  aggravated  degree. 
^Yhe^eve^  soft  coal  is  burned  as  the  principal  fuel,  a  black, 
fuliginous  substance  goes  floating  through  the  air,  and 
soils  every  thing  it  touches.  It  penetrates  into  houses  and 
public  buildings,  often  intensified  by  their  own  interior  use 
of  the  same  generator  of  dirt,  and  covers  the  books  of  the 
library  with  its  foul  deposits.  You  may  see,  in  the  public 
libraries  of  some  western  cities,  how  this  perpetual  curse 
of  coal  smoke  has  penetrated  the  leaves  of  all  the  books, 
resisting  all  efforts  to  keep  it  out,  and  slowly  but  surely  de- 
teriorating both  paper  and  bindings.  Here,  preventive 
measures  are  impossible,  unless  some  device  for  consuming 
the  coal  smoke  of  chimneys  and  factories  were  made  com- 
pulsory, or  the  evil  somewhat  mitigated  by  using  a  less 
dangerous  fuel  within  the  librar3^ 

But,  aside  from  these  afflictions  of  dust,  in  its  most  ag- 
gravated form,  every  library  and  every  room  in  any  build- 
ing is  subject  to  its  persistent  visitations.  Wherever  car- 
pets or  rugs  cover  the  floors,  there  dust  has  an  assured 
abiding-place,  and  it  is  diffused  throughout  the  apartment 
in  impalpable  clouds,  at  every  sweeping  of  the  floors. 
Hence  it  would  be  wdse  to  adopt  in  public  libraries  a  floor- 
covering  like   linoleum,   or   some   substance   other   than 


THE    ENEMIES    OF    BOOKS.  103 

■woolen,  which  would  be  measurably  free  from  duet,  while 
soft  enough  to  deaden  the  sound  of  feet  upon  the  floors. 
Even  with  this  preventive  precaution,  there  will  always  be 
dust  enough,  and  too  much  for  comfort,  or  for  the  health 
of  the  books.  Only  a  thorough  dusting,  carried  on  if  pos- 
sible daily,  can  prevent  an  accumulation  of  dust,  at  once 
deleterious  to  the  durability  of  the  books,  and  to  the  com- 
fort both  of  librarians  and  readers.  Dust  is  an  insidious 
foe,  stealing  on  its  march  silently  and  unobserved,  yet, 
however  impalpable  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  library,  it  will 
settle  upon  the  tops  of  every  shelf  of  books,  it  will  pene- 
trate tlieir  inner  leaves,  it  will  lodge  upon  the  bindings, 
soiling  books  and  readers,  and  constituting  a  perpetual 
annoyance. 

It  is  not  enough  to  dust  the  tops  of  the  books  periodi- 
cally; a  more  full  and  radical  remedy  is  required,  to  render 
library  books  presentable.  At  no  long  intervals,  there 
should  be  a  tliorough  li1)rary  cleaning,  as  drastic  and  com- 
plete as  the  house-cleaning  which  neat  housewives  institute 
twice  a  year,  with  such  wholesome  results.  The  books  are 
to  be  taken  down  from  the  shelves,  and  subjected  to  a  shak- 
ing-up  process,  which  will  remove  more  of  the  dust  they 
have  absorbed  than  any  brush  can  reach.  To  do  this  ef- 
fectually, take  them,  if  of  moderate  tliiekness,  by  the  half- 
dozen  at  a  time  from  tlie  shelf,  hold  tliem  loosely  on  a 
table,  their  fronts  downward,  backs  uppermost,  then  with 
a  hand  at  either  side  of  tlio  h'ttlo  pile,  strike  them  smartly 
togctlier  a  few  times,  until  the  (hist,  wliich  will  fly  from 
them  in  a  very  palpable  cloud,  ceases  to  fall.  Then  lay 
them  on  their  ends,  with  the  tops  uppermost  on  the  table, 
and  repeat  the  concussion  in  that  posture,  when  you  will 
eliminate  a  fresh  crop  of  dust,  though  not  so  thick  as  the 
first.  After  this,  lot  each  vnlnmo  of  tlie  lot  be  brushed 
over  at  the  sides  and  l)ack  with  a  soft  (never  stiff)  brush. 


104  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    UKADKRS. 

or  else  with  a  piece  of  cotton  or  woolen  cloth,  and  so  re- 
stored clean  to  the  shelves.  "While  this  thorough  method 
of  cleansing  will  take  time  and  pains,  it  will  pay  in  the  long 
run.  It  will  not  eliminate  all  the  dust  (which  in  a  large 
collection  is  a  physical  impossihility)  but  it  will  reduce  it 
to  a  minimum.  Faithfully  carried  out,  as  a  periodical  sup- 
plement to  a  daily  dusting  of  the  books  as  they  stand  on 
the  shelves,  it  will  immensely  relieve  the  librarian  or  book- 
owner,  who  can  then,  (and  then  only)  feel  that  he  has  done 
his  whole  duty  by  his  books. 

Another  dangerous  enemy  of  the  library  book  is  damp, 
already  briefly  referred  to.  Books  kept  in  any  basement 
room,  or  near  any  wall,  absorb  moisture  with  avidity ;  both 
paper  and  bindings  becoming  mildewed,  and  often  covered 
with  blue  mould.  If  long  left  in  this  perilous  condition, 
sure  destruction  follows;  the  glue  or  paste  which  fastens 
the  cover  softens,  the  leather  loses  its  tenacity,  and  the 
leaves  slowly  rot,  until  the  worthless  volumes  smell  to 
heaven.  Books  thus  injured  may  be  partially  recovered, 
before  the  advanced  stage  of  decomposition,  by  removal  to 
a  dry  atmosphere,  and  by  taking  the  volumes  apart,  drying 
the  sheets,  and  rebinding — a  very  expensive,  but  necessary 
remedy,  provided  the  books  are  deemed  worth  preserving. 

But  a  true  remedy  is  the  preventive  one.  N"o  library 
should  ever  be  kept,  even  in  part,  in  a  basement  story,  nor 
should  any  books  ever  be  located  near  the  wall  of  a  build- 
ing. All  walls  absorb,  retain,  and  give  out  moisture,  and 
are  dangerous  and  oft-times  fatal  neighbors  to  books.  Let 
the  shelves  be  located  at  right  angles  to  every  wall — with 
the  end  nearest  to  it  at  least  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  re- 
moved, and  the  danger  will  be  obviated. 

A  third  enemy  of  the  book  is  heat.  Most  libraries  are 
unfortunately  over-heated, — sometimes  from  defective 
means  of  controlling  the  temperature,  and  sometimes  from 


THE    ENEMIES    OF    BOOKS.  105 

carelessness  or  want  of  thought  in  the  attendant.  A  high 
temperature  is  very  destructive  to  books.  It  warps  their 
covers,  so  that  volumes  unprotected  by  their  fellows,  or  by 
a  book  support,  tend  to  curl  up,  and  stay  warped  until  they 
become  a  nuisance.  It  also  injures  the  paper  of  the  vol- 
umes by  over-heating,  and  weakening  the  tenacity  of  the 
leaves  held  together  by  the  glue  on  the  back,  besides  dry- 
ing to  an  extreme  the  leather,  till  it  cracks  or  crumbles 
under  the  heat.  The  upper  shelves  or  galleries  of  any  li- 
brary are  most  seriously  affected  by  over-heating,  because 
the  natural  law  causes  the  heat  to  rise  toward  the  ceiling. 
If  you  put  your  hand  on  some  books  occupying  the  highest 
places  in  some  library  rooms,  in  mid-winter,  when  the  fires 
are  kept  at  their  maximum,  the  heat  of  the  volume  will  al- 
most burn  5'our  fingers.  If  these  books  were  sentient  be- 
ings, and  could  speak,  would  they  not  say — "our  sufferings 
are  intolerable?" 

The  remedy  is  of  course  a  preventive  one;  never  to  suf- 
fer the  library  to  become  over-heated,  and  to  have  proper 
ventilation  on  every  floor,  communicating  with  the  air  out- 
side. Seventy  degrees  Fahrenheit  is  a  safe  and  proper 
maximum  temperature  for  books  and  librarian. 

The  mischief  arising  from  gas  exhalations  is  another 
serious  source  of  danger  to  books.  In  many  well-lighted 
libraries,  the  heat  itself  from  the  numerous  gas-burners  is 
sufficient  to  injure  them,  and  there  is  besides  a  sulphuric 
acid  escaping  from  the  coal-gas  fluid,  in  combustion,  Avhich 
is  most  deleterious  to  bindings.  The  only  remedy  appears 
to  be,  where  libraries  are  open  evenings,  to  furnish  them 
with  electric  lights.  This  improved  mode  of  illumination 
is  now  so  perfected,  and  so  widfly  diffusod,  that  it  may  bo 
reckoned  a  positive  boon  io  public  lil)raries,  in  saving  their 
books  from  one  of  their  worst  and  most  destructive  ene- 
mies. 


106 


A    BOOK    rOR    ALL    EEADERS. 


Another  of  the  potent  enemies  of  books  is  fire.  I  refer, 
not  to  over-lieating  the  rooms  they  occupy,  but  to  the  risk 
they  continually  run,  in  most  libraries,  of  total  destruction. 
The  chronicle  of  burned  libraries  would  make  a  long  and 
melancholy  record,  on  which  there  is  no  space  here  to  en- 
ter. Irreparable  losses  of  manuscripts  and  early  printed 
books,  and  precious  volumes  printed  in  small  editions,  have 
arisen  from  men's  neglect  of  building  our  book-repositories 
fire-proof.  In  all  libraries  not  provided  with  iron  or  steel 
shelves,  there  is  perpetual  danger.  Books  do  not  burn 
easily,  unless  surrounded  with  combustibles,  but  these  are 
furnished  in  nearly  all  libraries,  by  surrounding  the  books 
on  three  sides  with  wooden  shelves,  which  need  only  to  be 
ignited  at  any  point  to  put  the  whole  collection  in  a  blaze. 
Then  follows  the  usual  abortive  endeavor  to  save  the  li- 
brary by  the  aid  of  fire  engines,  which  flood  the  building, 
until  the  water  spoils  nearly  all  which  the  fire  does  not 
consume.  The  incalculable  Icsses  which  the  cause  of  learn- 
ing has  sustained  from  the  burning  of  public,  university 
and  ecclesiastical  libraries  are  far  greater  than  the  cost 
which  the  provision  of  fire-proof  repositories  would  have 
entailed. 

Of  late  years,  there  has  been  a  partial  reform  in  library 
construction.  Some  have  been  built  fire-proof  through- 
out, with  only  stone,  brick,  concrete  and  iron  material, 
even  to  the  fioors  and  window  casings.  Many  more  have 
had  iron  shelves  and  iron  stacks  to  hold  the  shelves  con- 
structed, and  there  are  now  several  competing  manufac- 
turers of  these  invaluable  safeguards  to  books.  The  first 
library  interior  constructed  wholly  of  iron  was  that  of  the 
Library  of  Congress  at  "Washington,  which  had  been  twice 
consumed,  first  when  the  Capitol  was  burned  by  the  British 
army  in  1814,  and  again  in  1851,  through  a  defective  flue, 
when  only  20,000  volumes  were  saved  from  the  flames,  out 


THE    ENEMIES    OF    BOOKS.  107 

of  a  total  of  55,000.  The  example  of  iron  construction 
has  been  slowly  followed,  until  now  the  large  cities  have 
most  of  their  newly-constructed  libraries  approximately 
fire-proof,  although  many  are  exposed  to  fire  in  parts, 
owing  to  a  niggardly  and  false  economy.  The  lesson  that 
what  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well,  and  that 
every  neglect  of  security  brings  sooner  or  later  irreparable 
loss,  is  very  slowly  learned.  "Whole  hecatombs  of  books 
have  been  sacrificed  to  the  spirit  of  commercial  greed, 
blind  or  short-sighted  enough  not  to  see  that  secure  pro- 
tection to  public  property,  though  costlier  at  first,  is  far 
cheaper  in  the  end.  You  may  speak  of  insurance  against 
library  losses  by  fire,  but  what  insurance  could  restore  the 
rare  and  costly  Shakespearean  treasures  of  the  Birming- 
ham Free  Librar}^  or  the  unique  and  priceless  manuscripts 
that  went  up  in  flames  in  the  city  library  of  Strasburg,  in 
1870,  or  the  many  precious  and  irreplaceable  manuscript 
archives  of  so  many  of  our  States,  burned  in  the  conflagra- 
tion of  their  capitols? 

One  would  think  that  the  civilized  world  had  had  lessons 
enough,  ever  since  that  seventh  century  burning  of  the 
Alexandrian  library  by  the  Caliph  Omar,  with  that  famous 
but  apocryphal  rhetorical  dilemma,  put  in  his  mouth  per- 
haps by  some  nimble-witted  reporter: — "If  these  books 
agree  with  the  Koran,  they  are  useless,  and  should  be 
burned :  if  not,  they  are  pernicious,  and  must  not  be 
spared."  But  the  heedless  world  goes  carelessly  on,  deaf 
to  the  voice  of  reason,  and  the  lessons  of  history,  amid  the 
liolocausts  of  literature  and  the  wreck  of  blazing  libraries, 
uttering  loud  newspaper  wails  at  each  new  instance  of  de- 
struction, forgotten  in  a  week,  then  cheerfully  renewing 
the  business  of  building  libraries  that  invite  the  flames. 

Nothing  here  said  should  be  interpreted  as  advice  not  to 
insure  any  lil)rary,  in  all  cases  where  it  is  not  jjrovideil  with 


108  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

iron  cases  for  the  books,  or  a  fire-proof  buildiug.  On  the 
contrary,  the  menaced  destruction  of  books  or  manuscripts 
that  cannot  be  replaced  should  lead  to  securing  means  in 
advance  for  replacing  all  the  rest  in  case  of  loss  by  fire. 
And  the  experience  of  the  past  points  the  wisdom  of  locat- 
ing every  library  in  an  isolated  building,  where  risks  of 
fire  from  other  buildings  are  reduced  to  a  minimum,  in- 
stead of  in  a  block  whose  buildings  (as  in  most  commercial 
structures)  are  lined  with  wood. 

You  will  perhaps  attach  but  small  importance  at  first 
thought,  to  the  next  insidious  foe  to  library  books  that  I 
shall  name — that  is,  wetting  by  rain.  Yet  most  buildings 
leak  at  the  roof,  sometime,  and  some  old  buildings  are  sub- 
ject to  leaks  all  the  time.  Even  under  the  roof  of  the  Cap- 
itol at  ^Yashington,  at  every  melting  of  a  heavy  snow-fall, 
and  on  occasion  of  violent  and  protracted  rains,  there  have 
been  leaks  pouring  down  water  into  the  libraries  located 
in  the  old  part  of  the  building.  Each  of  these  saturated 
and  injured  its  quota  of  books,  some  of  which  could  only 
be  restored  to  available  use  by  re-binding,  and  even  then 
the  leaves  were  left  water-stained  in  part.  See  to  it  that 
your  library  roof  is  water-tight,  or  the  contents  of  your 
library  will  be  constantly  exposed  to  damage  against  which 
there  is  no  insurance. 

Another  besetting  danger  to  the  books  of  our  libraries 
arises  from  insects  and  vermin.  These  animated  foes  ap- 
pear chiefly  in  the  form  of  book-worms,  cockroaches,  and 
mice.  The  first-named  is  rare  in  American  libraries, 
though  its  ravages  have  extended  far  and  wide  among  the 
old  European  ones.  This  minute  little  insect,  whose  scien- 
tific name  is  the  anobium  paniceum,  bores  through  the 
leaves  of  old  volumes,  making  sometimes  holes  which  de- 
face and  mutilate  the  text.  All  our  public  libraries, 
doubtless,  have  on  their  shelves  old  folios  in  vellum  or 


THE    ENEMIES    OF    BOOKS.  109 

leather  bindings,  which  present  upon  opening  the  disagree- 
able vision  of  leaves  eaten  through  (usuall)'^  before  they 
crossed  the  sea)  by  these  pernicious  little  borers.  It  is 
comforting  to  add,  that  I  have  never  known  of  any  book- 
worm in  the  Congressional  Library — except  the  human  va- 
riety, which  is  frequently  in  evidence.  Georgetown  Col- 
lege library  once  sent  me  a  specimen  of  the  insect,  which 
was  found  alive  in  one  of  its  volumes,  but  the  united  testi- 
mony of  librarians  is  that  this  pest  is  rare  in  the  United 
States.  As  to  remedies,  the  preventive  one  of  sprinkling 
the  shelves  twice  a  year  with  a  mixture  of  powdered  cam- 
phor and  snuff,  or  the  vapor  of  benzine  or  carbolic  acid,  or 
other  repellent  chemicals,  is  resorted  to  abroad,  but  I  have 
not  heard  of  any  similar  practice  in  this  country.  I  may 
remark  in  passing,  that  the  term  "book-worm"  is  a  mis- 
nomer, since  it  is  not  a  worm  at  all,  but  an  insect.  A  more 
serious  insect  menace  is  the  cockroach,  a  hungry,  unclean 
little  beast,  which  frequents  a  good  many  libraries,  and  de- 
vours bindings  (especially  fresh  ones)  to  get  at  the  paste 
or  savory  parts  of  the  binding.  The  remedy  for  this  evil, 
when  once  found  to  exist,  is  to  scatter  the  most  effective 
roach  poison  that  can  be  found,  which  may  arrest  further 
ravages. 

Another  insect  pest  is  the  Croton  bug,  (Blatta  German- 
ica)  which  eats  into  cloth  bindings  to  get  at  the  sizing  or 
albumen.  The  late  eminent  entomologist,  Dr.  C.  V.  Eiley, 
pronounced  them  the  worst  pest  known  in  libraries,  but 
observed  that  they  do  not  attack  books  bound  in  leather, 
and  confine  their  ravages  to  the  outside  of  cloth-bound 
books,  never  troubling  the  leaves.  The  remedy  prescribed 
is  a  powder  in  which  pyrethrum  is  the  chief  ingredient, 
sprinkled  about  the  shelves. 

Among  the  rodents,  mice  arc  apt  to  be  busy  and  mis- 
chievous infesters  of  libraries.     They  are  extremely  fond 


110  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    RKADERS. 

of  paste,  and  being  in  a  chronic  state  of  hunger,  they  watch 
opportunities  of  getting  at  any  library  receptacle  of  it. 
They  will  gnaw  any  fresh  binding,  whether  of  cloth,  board, 
or  leather,  to  get  at  the  coveted  food.  They  will  also  gnaw 
some  books,  and  even  pamphlets,  without  any  appareiil 
temptation  of  a  succulent  nature.  A  good  library  cat  or 
a  series  of  mouse  traps,  skilfully  baited,  may  rid  you  of  this 
evil. 

The  injury  that  comes  to  library  books  from  insulHcient 
care  in  protecting  them  on  the  shelves  is  great  and  incal- 
culable. There  are  to  be  seen  in  every  library,  volumes  all 
twisted  out  of  shape  by  the  sagging  or  leaning,  to  which 
the  end-book  is  subjected,  and  which  is  often  shared  by  all 
its  neighbors  on  the  shelf.  The  inevitable  result  is  that 
the  book  is  not  only  spoiled  in  its  good  looks,  but  (which  is 
vastly  more  important)  it  is  injured  in  its  binding,  which 
is  strained  and  weakened  just  in  proportion  to  the  length 
of  time  in  which  it  is  subjected  to  such  risks.  The  plain 
remedy  is  to  take  care  that  every  volume  is  supported  up- 
right upon  the  shelf,  in  some  way.  "When  the  shelf  is  full, 
the  books  will  support  one  another.  But  when  volumes 
are  withdrawn,  or  when  a  shelf  is  only  partly  filled  with 
books,  the  unsupported  volumes  tumble  by  force  of  gravi- 
tation, and  those  next  them  sag  and  lean,  or  fall  like  a  row 
of  bricks,  pushing  one  another  over.  No  shelf  of  books 
can  safely  be  left  in  this  condition.  Some  one  of  the  nu- 
merous book-supports  that  have  been  contrived  should  be 
always  ready,  to  hold  up  the  volumes  which  are  liable  to 
lean  and  fall. 

We  come  now  to  the  active  human  enemies  of  books,  and 
these  are  unhappily  found  among  some  of  the  readers  who 
frequent  our  libraries.  These  abuses  are  manifold  and 
far-reaching.  Most  of  them  are  committed  through  igno- 
rance, and  can  be  corrected  by  the  courteous  but  firm  in- 


THE   EXEMIES    OF    BOOKS.  Ill 

terposition  of  the  librarian,  instructing  the  delinquent 
how  to  treat  a  book  in  hand.  Others  are  wilful  and  un- 
pardonable offences  against  property  rights  and  public 
morals,  even  if  not  made  penal  offences  by  law.  One  of 
these  is  book  mutilation,  very  widely  practiced,  but  rarely 
detected  until  the  mischief  is  done,  and  the  culprit  gone. 
I  have  found  whole  pages  torn  out  of  translations,  in  the 
volumes  of  Bohn's  Clas^sical  Library,  doubtless  by  students 
wanting  the  translated  text  as  a  "crib"  in  their  study  of 
the  original  tongue.  Some  readers  will  watch  their  oppor- 
tunity, and  mutilate  a  book  by  cutting  out  plates  or  a 
map,  to  please  their  fancy,  or  perhaps  to  make  up  a  defect- 
ive copy  of  the  same  work.  Those  consulting  bound  tiles 
of  newspapers  will  ruthlessly  despoil  tliem  by  cutting  out 
articles  or  correspondence,  or  advertisements,  and  carrying 
off  the  stolen  extracts,  to  save  themselves  the  trouble  of 
copying.  Others,  bolder  still,  if  not  more  unscrupulous, 
will  deliberately  carry  off  a  library  book  under  a  coat,  or 
in  a  pocket,  perhaps  signing  a  false  name  to  a  reader's 
ticket  to  hide  the  theft,  or  escape  detection.  Against 
these  scandalous  practices,  there  is  no  absolute  safeguard 
in  any  library.  Even  where  a  police  watch  is  kept,  thefts 
are  perpetrated,  and  in  most  libraries  where  no  watchman 
is  employed,  the  librarian  and  his  assistants  are  commonly 
far  too  busy  to  exercise  close  scrutiny  of  all  readers.  As 
one  safeguard,  no  rare  or  specially  costly  book  should  be 
entrusted  to  a  reader  except  under  the  immediate  eye  of 
the  librarian  or  assistant.  Ordinary  books  can  be  replaced 
if  carried  off,  and  by  watching  the  rarities,  risk  of  theft 
can  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

When  newspapers  are  given  out  to  readers,  it  should  al- 
ways be  in  a  part  of  the  library  where  those  using  them  are 
conscious  of  a  surveillanfe  exercised  over  their  movements. 
The  penalty  of  neglecting  this  may  at  any  time  be  the  mu- 


112  A    BOOK    FOE    ALL    READERS. 

tilation  of  an  important  file,  and  it  must  be  remembered 
that  such  damage,  once  done,  cannot  be  repaired.  You 
can  replace  a  mutilated  book  usually  by  buying  a  new  one, 
but  a  newspaper  can  almost  never  be  replaced.  Even  in 
the  city  of  Boston,  the  librarian  of  the  Athenaeum  library 
records  the  disgraceful  fact,  that  "the  temptation  to  avoid 
the  trouble  of  copying,  by  cutting  out  articles  from  news- 
papers is  too  strong  for  the  honesty  of  a  considerable  part 
of  the  public."  And  it  was  recorded  by  the  custodian  of 
a  public  library  in  Albany  that  all  the  plates  were  missing 
from  certain  books,  that  the  poetry  and  best  illustrations 
were  cut  from  magazines  before  they  had  lain  on  the  tables 
a  week,  and  strange  to  say,  that  many  of  these  depredations 
were  committed  by  women. 

It  is  a  difficult  problem  how  to  prevent  such  outrages  to 
decenc}^  and  such  irreparable  depredations  on  the  books  in 
our  libraries  as  destroy,  in  great  part,  their  value.  A 
posted  notice,  reminding  readers  that  mutilation  of  books 
or  periodicals  is  a  penal  offence,  wdll  warn  off  many,  if  not 
all,  from  such  acts  of  vandalism.  If  there  is  no  law  pun- 
ishing the  offence,  agitate  until  you  get  one.  Expose 
through  the  press  such  thefts  and  mutilations  as  are  dis- 
covered. Interest  readers  w^hom  you  know,  to  be  watchful 
of  those  you  do  not  know,  and  to  quietly  report  any  ob- 
served violation  of  rules.  When  a  culprit  is  detected,  push 
the  case  to  prompt  legal  hearing,  and  let  the  penalty  of 
the  law  be  enforced.  Let  it  be  known  that  the  public 
property  in  books  is  too  sacred  a  right  to  be  violated  with 
impunity.  Inculcate  by  every  means  and  on  every  oppor- 
tunity the  sentiment  that  readers  who  freely  benefit  by  the 
books  supplied  should  themselves  feel  personal  concern  in 
their  cleanliness  and  preservation,  and  that  the  interest  of 
the  library  is  really  the  interest  of  all. 

A  daily  abuse  practiced  by  many  readers  in  libraries, 


THE   EXEMIES    OF    BOOKS.  113 

though  without  wrongful  intent,  is  the  piling  of  one  book 
on  top  of  another  while  open.  This  is  inexcusable  ill- 
treatment,  for  it  subjects  the  open  book  thus  burdened,  to 
injury,  besides  probably  soiling  its  pages  with  dust.  Es- 
pecially harmful  is  such  careless  treatment  of  large  vol- 
umes of  newspapers  or  illustrated  works. 

Careless  use  of  ink  is  the  cause  of  much  injury  to  library 
books.  As  a  rule  (to  which  the  very  fewest  exceptions 
should  be  made)  pencils  only  should  be  allowed  to  readers, 
who  must  forego  the  use  of  ink,  with  the  inevitable  risk  of 
dropping  it  upon  the  book  to  its  irreparable  injury.  The 
use  of  ink  in  fountain  pens  is  less  objectionable.  Tracing 
of  maps  or  plates  should  not  be  allowed,  unless  with  a  soft 
pencil.  Under  no  circumstances  should  tracing  with  a 
pen  or  other  hard  instrument  be  permitted  to  any  reader. 
Failure  to  enforce  this  rule  may  result  in  ruin  of  valuable 
engravings  or  maps. 

There  is  one  class  of  books  which  demand  special  and 
watchful  care  at  the  hands  of  the  librarian.  These  are  the 
fme  illustrated  works,  mostly  in  large  folio,  which  include 
the  engravings  of  the  art  galleries  of  Europe,  and  many 
other  specially  rare  or  costly  publications.  These  should 
be  carefully  shelved  in  cases  where  they  can  lie  on  tlieir 
sides,  not  placed  upright,  as  in  some  collections,  to  lean 
over,  and,  sooner  or  later  to  break  their  backs,  and  neces- 
sitate rebinding.  When  supplied  to  readers,  there  should 
not  be  more  than  one  volume  at  a.time  given  out,  to  avoid 
tbe  risk,  always  threatening,  of  careless  handling  or  of 
opening  one  volume  on  top  of  another  that  is  open.  There 
should  also  be  a  printed  notice  or  label  affixed  to  the  side 
cover  of  every  illustrated  work  reading,  "Never  touch  an 
engraving,"  or  an  equivalent  warning.  This  will  go  far, 
liv  its  plain  reminder,  to  prevent  soiling  the  pages  by  the 
fingers,  a  practice  which  rapidly  deteriorates  fine  books, 


114  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

and  if  long  continued,  renders  them  unfit  to  be  exhibited 
to  clean-handed  readers. 

All  plates  should  be  stamped  at  some  portion  of  their 
surface  (it  is  often  done  on  the  back)  with  the  embossing 
stamp  of  the  library,  as  a  means  of  identification  if  ab- 
stracted from  the  volume  to  which  they  belong. 

Such  books  should,  moreover,  be  consulted  on  a  large 
table,  or  better  an  adjustable  stand  (to  avoid  frequent  lift- 
ing or  shifting  of  the  position  of  the  volume  when  inspect- 
ing the  plates)  and  always  under  the  eye  of  the  librarian 
or  an  assistant  not  far  removed.  These  precautions  will 
insure  far  more  careful  treatment,  and  will  result  in  hand- 
ing down  to  a  new  generation  of  readers  many  a  rare  and 
precious  volume,  which  would  otherwise  be  destroyed  or 
irretrievably  injured  in  a  very  few  years.  The  library 
treasures  which  cost  so  much  to  bring  together  should 
never  be  permitted  to  suffer  from  want  of  care  to  preserve 
them. 

All  writing  upon  the  margins  of  books  should  be  prohib- 
ited— other  than  simple  pencil  corrections  of  the  text,  as 
to  an  erroneous  date,  name,  etc.,  which  corrections  of  er- 
rors should  not  only  be  permitted,  but  welcomed,  upon  due 
verification.  The  marking  of  passages  for  copying  or  cita- 
tion should  be  tolerated  only  upon  the  rigid  condition  that 
every  user  of  the  book  rubs  out  his  own  pencil  marks  be- 
fore returning  it.  I  have  seen  lawyers  and  others  thought- 
less enough  of  right  and  wrong  to  mark  long  passages  in 
pen  and  ink  in  books  belonging  to  public  libraries.  This 
is  a  practice  to  be  sternly  repressed,  even  at  the  cost  of  de- 
nying further  library  privileges  to  the  offender. 

Turning  down  leaves  in  a  book  to  keep  the  place  is  one  of 
the  easily  besetting  sins  of  too  many  readers.  Those  who 
thus  dogs-ear  a  volume  should  be  taught  that  the  vile  prac- 
tice weakens  and  wears  out  the  leaves  thus  folded  down, 


THE  ENEMIES  OF  BOOKS.  115 

and  makes  the  book  a  more  easy  prey  to  dust  and  disinte- 
gration. However  busy  I  may  be,  I  instinctively  turn 
back  every  turned-down  leaf  I  notice  in  any  book,  before 
using  it,  or  handing  it  to  another.  A  good  safe-guard 
would  be  to  provide  a  supply  of  little  narrow  strips  of 
paper,  in  the  ticket  boxes  at  the  library  tables  to  serve  as 
the  book-markers  so  frequently  needed  by  readers.  For 
this  purpose,  no  thick  or  smooth  calendered  paper  should 
be  used,  which  falls  out  of  any  loosely  bound  book  too  read- 
ily— but  a  thin  soft  paper  un-sized,  which  will  be  apt  to  re- 
tain its  place.  I  have  lost  valuable  time  (which  I  shall 
never  see  again)  in  trying  to  find  the  pages  marked  for  me 
by  a  searcher  who  had  thoughtlessly  inserted  bits  of  card- 
board as  markers — which  kept  falling  out  by  their  own 
weight.  The  book-marks  should  be  at  least  two  inches 
long,  and  not  more  than  half  an  inch  wide;  and  rough 
edges  are  better  than  smooth  ones,  for  they  will  adhere 
better  to  the  head  of  the  volume  where  placed.  Better 
still  it  is,  to  provide  paper  book-marks  forked  at  the  lower 
end  by  slitting,  then  doubled  so  that  the  mark  will  go  on 
both  sides  of  the  leaf  at  once.  This  is  the  only  sure  safe- 
guard against  these  bits  of  paper  falling  out,  and  thus  los- 
ing the  place.  Never  put  cards,  or  letters,  or  documents, 
or  any  solid  substance  into  a  book.  It  weakens  the  bind- 
ing, and  if  continued,  often  breaks  the  back.  Tlie  fact 
that  most  of  the  injuries  to  which  books  are  exposed  are 
unintentional  injuries  does  not  alter  the  fact  that  they  are 
none  the  less  injuries  to  be  guarded  against.  Wilful  per- 
petration of  the  many  abuses  referred  to  may  be  rare,  but 
the  unconscious  perpetrators  should  be  instructed  how  to 
use  books  by  a  vigilant  librarian.  And  they  who  have  thus 
been  taught  to  1)0  careful  of  the  books  in  a  public  library 
will  learn  to  be  more  careful  of  their  own,  wbi^h  is  a  great 
step  in  the  education  of  any  one. 


11  fi  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

It  ought  not  to  be  needful  to  charge  any  one  never  to 
wet  the  finger  to  turn  over  the  leaves  of  a  book — a  childish 
habit,  akin  to  running  out  the  tongue  when  writing,  or 
moving  the  lips  when  reading  to  one's  self.  The  only 
proper  way  to  turn  the  leaf  is  at  the  upper  right-hand  cor- 
ner, and  the  index-finger  of  the  right  hand  will  always  be 
found  competent  to  that  duty. 

Still  less  should  it  be  needful  to  insist  upon  the  import- 
ance to  every  reader  of  books,  of  coming  to  their  perusal 
clean-handed.  When  you  reflect  that  nine-tenths  of  the 
soiling  and  spoiling  which  books  undergo  comes  from  the 
dirty  hands  of  many  readers,  this  becomes  a  vital  point. 
Fouquet,  a  learned  book  collector  of  France,  used  to  keep 
a  pile  of  white  gloves  in  the  ante-room  of  his  library,  and 
no  visitor  was  allowed  to  cross  the  threshold,  or  to  handle 
a  book  without  putting  on  a  pair,  lest  he  should  soil  the 
precious  volumes  with  naked  hands.  Such  a  refinement 
of  care  to  keep  books  immaculate  is  not  to  be  expected  in 
this  age  of  the  world;  and  yet,  a  librarian  who  respects  his 
calling  is  often  tempted  to  wish  that  there  were  some 
means  of  compelling  people  to  be  more  careful  about  books 
than  they  are. 

It  ought  not  ever  to  be  true  that  an  enemy  to  the  wel- 
fare of  library  books  is  found  in  the  librarian  himself,  or  in 
any  of  his  assistants,  yet  there  have  been  those  employed  in 
the  care  of  books  who  have  abused  their  positions  and  the 
volumes  entrusted  to  their  charge,  not  only  by  neglect  of 
care,  (which  is  a  negative  injury)  but  by  positive  and  con- 
tinual ill  treatment.  This  may  arise  from  ignorance  of 
better  methods,  but  ignorance  is  a  poor  excuse  for  one 
credited  with  the  intelligence  of  a  librarian.  In  some  li- 
braries, books  are  treated  with  positive  indignity,  and  are 
permanently  injured  by  tightly  wedging  them  together. 
Never  crowd  books  by  main  force  into  shelves  too  short  or 


THE   ENEMIES    OF    BOOKS.  117 

too  small  for  them.  It  strains  the  backs,  and  seriously  in- 
jures the  bindings.  Every  book  should  slip  easily  past  its 
fellows  on  the  shelf.  If  a  volume  is  too  tall  to  go  in  its 
place,  it  should  be  relegated  to  lower  shelves  for  larger 
books,  never  letting  its  head  be  crowded  against  the  shelf 
above  it. 

One  should  never  pull  books  out  from  the  shelf  by  their 
liead-bands,  or  by  pulling  at  the  binding,  but  place  the 
finger  firmly  on  the  top  of  the  book,  next  to  the  binding, 
and  press  down  while  drawing  out  the  volume.  From  fail- 
ure to  observe  this  simple  precaution,  you  will  find  in  all 
libraries  multitudes  of  torn  or  broken  bindings  at  the  top 
— a  wholly  needless  defacement  and  waste. 

Never  permit  a  book  to  be  turned  down  on  its  face  to 
keep  the  place.  This  easily  besetting  habit  weakens  the 
book,  and  frequently  soils  its  leaves  by  contact  with  a  dusty 
table.  For  the  same  reason,  one  volume  should  not  be 
placed  within  the  leaves  of  anotlier  to  keep  the  place  where 
a  book-mark  of  paper,  so  easily  supplied,  should  always  be 
used.  Books  should  not  be  turned  down  on  the  fore-edges 
or  fronts  on  the  library  tables,  as  practiced  in  most  book- 
stores, in  order  to  better  display  the  stock.  The  same 
habit  prevails  in  many  libraries,  from  careless  inattention. 
When  necessary,  in  order  to  better  read  the  titles,  they 
should  never  be  left  long  in  such  position.  This  treatment 
weakens  the  back  infallibly,  and  if  long  continued  breaks 
it.  Librarians,  of  all  persons  in  the  world,  should  learn, 
and  should  lead  others  to  learn,  never  to  treat  a  book  witli 
indignity,  and  how  truly  the  life  of  a  book  depends  upon 
jiroper  treatment,  as  well  as  that  of  an  animated  being. 

These  things,  and  others  of  my  suggestions,  may  seem 
trifles  to  some;  but  to  those  who  consider  how  mucli  suc- 
cess in  life  depends  upon  attention  to  what  are  called 
trilles — nay,  how  much  both  human  taste  and  human  hap- 


118  A    BOOK   i'OR    ALL   READERS. 

piness  are  promoted  by  care  regarding  trifles,  they  will  not 
appear  unimportant.  The  existence  of  schools  to  teach 
library  science,  and  of  manuals  devoted  to  similar  laudable 
aims,  is  an  auspicious  omen  of  the  new  reign  of  refined 
taste  in  those  nobler  arts  of  life  which  connect  themselves 
with  literature,  and  are  to  be  hailed  as  authentic  evidences 
of  the  onward  progress  of  civilization. 


CHAPTEE  6. 

The  Restoeatiox  and  Eeclamation  of  Books. 

We  are  now  to  consider  carefully  the  restoration  and 
the  reclamation  of  the  books  of  a  library,  whether  public 
or  private. 

Nothing  can  be  more  important  than  the  means  of  re- 
storing or  reclaiming  library  books  that  are  lost  or  in- 
jured, since  every  such  restoration  will  save  the  funds  of 
the  librar}'  or  collector  from  replacing  them  with  fresh  or 
newly  bought  copies,  and  will  enable  it  to  furnish  its  stores 
with  as  many  new  books  as  the  money  thus  saved  repre- 
sents. The  cardinal  thing  to  be  kept  always  in  view  is  a 
wise  economy  of  means.  An  every-day  prudence  is  the 
price  of  successful  administration.  A  management  which 
permits  any  of  the  enemies  of  books  to  destroy  or  dam.age 
them,  thereby  wasting  the  substance  of  the  library  without 
repair,  is  a  fatally  defective  management,  which  should  be 
changed  as  soon  as  possible. 

This  consideration  assumes  added  importance  when  it 
is  remembered  that  the  means  of  nearly  all  our  lil)raries 
are  very  limited  and  inadequate  to  the  drafts  upon  them, 
year  by  year.  A  great  many  libraries  are  compelled  to  let 
their  books  needing  rebinding  accumulate,  from  the  mere 
want  of  money  to  pay  for  reclothing  the  nearly  worn-out 
volumes, tbus  depriving  the  readers  for  a  considerable  time, 
of  the  use  of  many  coveted  books.  And  even  with  those 
whioh  have  large  means,  I  have  never  yet  heard  of  a  li- 
brary that  had  enough,  cither  to  satisfy  the  eager  desire  of 
the  librarian  to  fill  up  deficiencies,  or  to  meet  fully  the 
manifold  wants  of  readers.     So  much  the  more  important, 

(119) 


1-0  A    BUtiK    FOR    ALL    KEADEES, 

then,  is  it  to  husband  every  dollar  that  can  be  saved,  to 
keep  the  books  in  such  good  condition  that  they  will  not 
need  frequent  rebinding,  and  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  all 
the  evils  which  beset  tliem,  menacing  their  safety,  or  in- 
juring their  condition. 

To  attain  these  great  ends,  the  librarian  who  is  qualified 
for  his  responsible  position,  must  be  both  a  preserver  and 
a  restorer  of  books.  If  not  personally  able  to  go  through 
the  mechanical  processes  which  belong  to  the  art  of  re- 
storation, (and  this  is  the  case  in  all  libraries  except  the 
smallest)  he  should  at  least  learn  all  about  them,  so  as  to 
be  able  to  teach  them  thoroughly  and  intelligently  to  an 
assistant.  It  is  frequently  made  an  excuse  for  the  soiled 
and  slovenly  and  even  torn  condition  of  books  and  bind- 
ings in  a  much  used  public  library,  that  neither  the  libra- 
rian nor  his  aids  have  any  time  to  look  into  the  condition 
of  the  books,  much  less  to  repair  any  of  the  numerous  dam- 
ages they  sustain.  But  it  should  be  remembered  that  in 
most  libraries,  even  the  busiest,  there  are  seasons  of  the 
day,  or  periods  of  very  stormy  weather,  when  the  fre- 
quentation  of  readers  is  quite  small.  Those  times  should 
always  be  seized  upon  to  take  hold  of  volumes  which  have 
had  to  be  laid  aside  as  damaged,  in  the  hurry  of  business. 
To  arrest  such  damages  at  the  threshold  is  the  duty  and 
the  interest  of  the  library.  A  torn  leaf  can  be  quickly 
mended,  a  slightly  broken  binding  can  be  pasted  or  glued, 
turned-down  leaves  can  be  restored  where  they  belong,  a 
plate  or  map  that  is  started  can  be  fastened  in,  by  devoting 
a  few  minutes  at  the  proper  time,  and  with  the  proper  ap- 
pliances ready  at  hand.  Multitudes  of  volumes  can  be 
so  treated  in  the  course  of  the  year,  thus  saving  the 
heavy  cost  of  rebinding.  It  is  the  proverbial  stitch  in 
time  that  saves  nine.  N^ever  wait,  in  such  matters,  for  the 
leisure  day  that  never  comes,  but  seize  the  golden  moment 


KESTORATIOX    AXD   RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         121 

as  it  flies,  when  no  reader  is  interrupting  you,  and  clear 
off  at  least  one  of  the  little  jobs  that  are  awaiting  your  at- 
tention. Xo  one  who  does  not  know  how  to  use  the  odd 
moments  is  qualified  for  the  duties  of  a  librarian.  I  have 
seen,  in  country  libraries,  the  librarian  and  his  lady  assist- 
ant absorbed  in  reading  newspapers,  with  no  other  readers 
in  the  room.  This  is  a  use  of  valuable  time  never  to  be 
indulged  in  during  library  hours.  If  they  had  given  those 
moments  to  proper  care  of  the  books  under  their  charge, 
their  shelves  would  not  have  been  found  filled  with  neg- 
lected volumes,  many  of  which  had  been  plainly  badly 
treated  and  injured,  but  not  beyond  reclamation  by  timely 
and  provident  care. 

It  is  amazing  how  any  one  can  expect  long  employment 
as  a  librarian,  who  takes  no  interest  in  the  condition  of  the 
books  under  his  cliarge.  The  way  to  build  up  a  library, 
and  to  establish  the  reputation  of  a  librarian  at  the  same 
time,  is  to  devote  every  energy  and  intelligence  to  the  great 
work  in  hand.  Convince  the  library  directors,  by  inces- 
sant care  of  the  condition  of  the  books,  that  you  arc  not 
only  a  fit,  but  an  indispensable  custodian  of  them.  Let 
them  see  your  methods  of  preserving  and  restoring,  and 
they  will  be  induced  to  give  you  every  facility  of  which 
you  stand  in  need.  Show  them  how  the  cost  of  binding  or 
re-buying  many  books  can  be  saved  by  timely  repair  witliin 
the  library,  and  then  ask  for  another  assistant  to  be  always 
employed  on  such  work  at  very  moderate  cost.  Li])rary 
directors  and  trustees  are  commonly  intensely  practical 
men,  and  quick  to  see  into  the  heart  of  good  management. 
They  do  not  want  a  librarian  who  has  a  great  reputation 
as  a  linguist,  or  an  educator,  or  a  book-worm,  but  one  wlio 
knows  and  cares  about  making  llicir  firnds  go  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, and  can  sbow  them  how  he  lias  saved  by  restoring 


122  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

old  books,  enough  money  to  pay  for  a  great  many  new 
ones. 

Nothing  is  more  common  in  public  lending  libraries 
than  to  llnd  torn  leaves  in  some  of  the  books.  If  the  leaf 
is  simply  broken,  without  being  absolutely  detached,  or  if 
part  is  torn  off,  and  remains  on  hand,  the  volume  may  be 
restored  by  a  very  simple  process.  Keep  always  at  hand 
in  some  drawer,  a  few  sheets  of  thin  "onion-skin"  paper, 
or  the  transparent  adhesive  paper  supplied  by  the  Library 
Bureau.  Paste  this  on  either  side  of  the  torn  leaf,  seeing 
that  it  laps  over  all  the  points  of  juncture  where  the  tear 
occurred,  and  that  the  fitting  of  the  text  or  reading  matter 
is  complete  and  perfect.  The  paper  being  transparent, 
there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  reading  the  torn  page  through 
it. 

This  little  piece  of  restoration  should  always  be  effected 
immediately  on  discovery,  both  that  the  torn  piece  or  frag- 
ment may  be  saved,  and  that  the  volume  may  be  restored 
to  use. 

In  case  of  absolute  loss  of  a  leaf  or  a  part  of  a  page, 
there  are  only  three  remedies  known  to  me. 

1.  The  book  may  be  condemned  as  imperfect,  and  a  new 
copy  purchased. 

2.  The  missing  part  may  be  restored  from  a  perfect  copy 
of  the  same  work,  by  copying  the  portions  of  the  text  want- 
ing, and  inserting  them  where  they  belong.  This  can  be 
done  with  a  pen,  and  the  written  deficiency  neatly  insert- 
ed, in  f ac-simile  of  the  type,  or  in  ordinary  script  hand ;  or 
else  the  part  wanting  may  be  photographed  or  heliotyped 
by  the  best  modern  process  from  a  duplicate  copy  of  the 
book. 

3.  If  the  book  is  of  very  recent  issue,  the  publishers  may 
furnish  a  signature  or  sheet  which  would  make  good  the 


RESTORATION   AND   RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         123 

deficiency,  from  the  "imperfections"  left  in  the  bindery, 
after  making  up  the  edition  of  the  work. 

In  most  cases,  the  last  named  means  of  replacement  will 
not  be  found  available.  The  first,  or  buying  a  fresh  copy, 
may  entail  a  greater  expense  than  the  library  authorities 
would  deem  proper  at  the  time,  and  it  might  be  preferred 
to  continue  the  book  in  use,  with  a  slight  imperfection. 

The  second  method,  more  or  less  troublesome  according 
to  circumstances,  or  the  extent  of  the  matter  to  be  copied 
is  sometimes  the  most  economical.  Of  course,  it  is  sub- 
ject to  the  drawback  of  not  being,  when  done,  a  bona  fide 
or  genuine  copy  of  the  book  as  published.  This  dimin- 
ishes the  commercial  value  of  even  the  rarest  book,  al- 
though so  fully  restored  as  to  text  that  the  reader  has  it  all 
before  him,  so  that  it  supplies  every  requisite  of  a  perfect 
copy  for  the  purposes  of  a  public  library,  or  a  private 
owner  who  is  not  a  connoisseur  in  books. 

When  the  corners  of  a  book  are  found  to  be  broken  (as 
often  happens  by  falling  to  the  floor  or  severe  handling) 
the  book  may  be  restored  by  a  treatment  which  will  give  it 
new  leather  corners.  With  paste  or  glue  well  rubbed  in, 
apply  thick  brown  paper  on  the  corners,  which,  when  dry, 
will  be  as  hard  as  desired,  and  ready  to  receive  the  leather. 
Then  the  sides  may  be  covered  with  marbled  paper  or 
cloth,  and  the  volume  is  restored. 

When  the  back  of  a  book  becomes  loose,  the  remedy  is 
to  take  it  out  of  the  cover,  re-sew  it,  and  glue  it  firmly  into 
the  former  back.  This  will  of  course  render  the  back  of 
the  volume  more  rigid,  but,  in  compensation,  it  will  be 
more  durable. 

In  these  cases  of  loose  or  broken  backs,  the  study  should 
be  to  save  the  leather  cover  and  the  boards  or  sides  of  the 
book  intact,  so  as  to  diminish  by  more  than  one-half  the 
cost  of  repair.     As  the  volume  cannot  be  restored  to  a 


124  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READEE8. 

solid  and  safe  condition  without  being  re-sewed,  it  may  be 
carefully  separated  from  the  cover  by  cutting  the  cords  or 
bands  at  their  Junction  with  the  boards,  then  slowly  strip- 
ping the  book  out  of  its  cover,  little  by  little,  and  treating 
the  sheets  when  separated  as  already  indicated  in  the  chap- 
ter on  rebinding. 

One  of  the  most  common  defacements  which  library 
books  undergo  is  marking  up  the  margins  with  comments 
or  references  in  pencil.  Of  course  no  thouglitful  reader 
would  be  guilty  of  this  practice,  but  thouglitless  readers 
are  often  in  the  majority,  and  the  books  they  read  or  fancy 
that  they  read,  get  such  silly  commentaries  on  the  margins 
as  these:  "beautiful,"  "very  sad,"  "perfectly  splendid,"  "I 
think  Becky  is  horrid,"  or,  "this  book  ends  badly."  Such 
vile  practices  or  defacements  are  not  always  traceable  to 
the  true  offender,  especially  in  a  circulating  library,  where 
the  hours  are  so  busy  as  to  prevent  the  librarian  from  look- 
ing through  the  volumes  as  they  come  in  from  the  readers. 
But  if  detected,  as  they  may  be  after  a  few  trials  of  sus- 
pected parties,  by  giving  them  out  books  known  to  be  clean 
and  free  from  pencil  marks  when  issued  to  them,  the 
reader  should  be  required  always  to  rub  out  his  own  marks, 
as  a  wholesome  object-lesson-  for  the  future.  The  same 
course  should  be  pursued  with  any  reader  detected  in  scrib- 
bling on  the  margin  of  any  book  which  is  being  read  with- 
in the  library.  Incorrigible  cases,  amounting  to  malicious 
marking  up  of  books,  should  be  visited  by  severe  penalties 
— even  to  the  denial  of  further  library  privileges  to  the 
offender. 

Not  long  ago,  I  bought  at  an  auction  sale  a  copy  of  the 
first  edition  of  Tennyson's  "In  Memoriam,"  which  was 
found  on  receipt  to  be  defaced  by  marking  dozens  of  verses 
in  the  margin  with  black  lines  drawn  along  them,  abso- 
lutely with  pen  and  ink!     The  owner  of  that  book,  who 


RESTORATIOX   AND   RECLAMATIOX    OF    BOOKS.         125 

did  the  ruthless  deed,  never  reflected  that  it  might  fall  into 
hands  where  his  indelible  folly  would  be  sharply  de- 
nounced. 

The  librarian  or  assistant  librarian  who  will  instinct- 
ively rub  out  all  pencil  marks  observed  in  a  library  book 
deserves  well  of  his  countrymen.     It  is  time  well  spent. 

The  writing  on  book-margins  is  so  common  a  practice, 
and  so  destructive  of  the  comfort  and  satisfaction  which 
readers  of  taste  should  find  in  their  perusal  of  books,  that 
no  legitimate  means  of  arresting  it  or  repairing  it  should 
be  neglected.  In  a  public  library  in  Massachusetts,  a 
young  woman  of  eighteen  who  was  detected  as  having 
marked  a  library  copy  of  "Middlemarch"  with  gushing  ef- 
fusions, was  required  to  read  the  statute  prescribing  fine 
and  imprisonment  for  such  offenses,  with  very  tearful  ef- 
fect, and  undoubtedly  with  a  wholesome  and  permanent 
improvement  in  her  relations  to  books  and  libraries. 

In  some  libraries,  a  warning  notice  is  posted  up  like  this : 
"Headers  finding  a  book  injured  or  defaced,  are  required  to 
report  it  at  once  to  the  librarian,  otherwise  they  will  be 
held  responsible  for  the  damage  done."  This  rule,  while 
its  object  is  highly  commendable,  may  lead  in  practice  to 
injustice  to  some  readers.  So  long  as  the  reader  uses  the 
book  inside  of  the  library  walls,  he  should  of  course  report 
such  defects  as  meet  his  eye  in  reading,  whether  missing 
pages,  plates,  or  maps,  or  serious  internal  soiling,  torn 
leaves,  etc.  But  in  the  case  of  drawing  out  books  for  home 
reading,  the  rule  might  embarrass  any  reader,  however  well 
disposed,  if  too  strictly  construed.  A  reader  finding  any 
serious  defect  in  a  library  volume  used  at  home,  should 
simply  place  a  mark  or  slip  in  the  proper  place  with  the 
word  "damaged,"  or  "defective"  written  on  it.  Then,  on 
returning  the  book  to  the  library,  his  simple  statement  of 
finding  it  damaged  or  defective  when  he  came  to  read  it 


126  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

should  be  accepted  by  the  librarian  as  exonerating  him 
from  blame  for  an}'  damage.  And  this  gives  point  to  the 
importance  of  examining  every  book,  at  least  by  cursory 
inspection,  before  it  is  handed  out  for  use.  A  volume  can 
be  run  through  quickly  by  a  practiced  hand,  so  as  to  show 
in  a  moment  or  two  any  leaves  started  or  torn,  or,  usually, 
any  other  important  injury.  If  any  such  is  found,  the 
volume  should  under  no  circumstances  be  given  out,  but 
at  once  subjected  to  repair  or  restoration.  This  degree  of 
care  will  not  only  save  the  books  of  the  library  from  rapid 
deterioration,  but  will  also  save  the  feelings  of  readers,  who 
might  be  anxious  lest  they  be  unjustly  charged  with  da- 
maging while  in  their  hands. 

The  treatment  of  their  imperfect  books  (which  tend  per- 
petually to  accumulate)  is  very  different  in  different  libra- 
ries. Some  libraries,  where  funds  are  ample  enough  to  en- 
able them  to  do  it,  condemn  any  book  that  has  so  much  as 
a  sentence  torn  out,  and  replace  it  on  the  shelves  with  a 
new  copy.  The  imperfect  volumes  are  sold  for  waste 
paper,  or  put  into  some  sale  of  duplicate  books,  marked  as 
imperfect,  with  note  of  the  damage  upon  a  slip  inserted  at 
the  proper  place  in  the  book,  and  also  in  the  catalogue,  if 
sold  at  auction  or  in  a  printed  list  of  duplicates  offered  by 
the  library.  This  notice  of  what  imperfection  exists  is 
necessary,  so  that  no  incautious  purchaser  may  think  that 
he  is  securing  a  perfect  copy  of  the  work. 

Other  libraries  not  blessed  with  means  to  pursue  this 
course,  do  as  best  they  can  afford,  supplying  what  is  de- 
ficient when  possible  without  much  cost  of  time  or  money, 
or  else  continuing  the  damaged  book  in  use  "with  all  its 
imperfections  on  its  head." 

The  loss  of  a  single  plate  does  not  destroy  the  value  of 
the  book  for  readers,  however  to  be  regretted  as  diminish- 
ing the  satisfaction  to  be  derived  from  the  volume.     And 


EESTOKATIOX   AND   RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         127 

one  can  sometimes  pardon  the  loss  of  a  part  of  a  page  in  a 
mutilated  book,  especially  when  he  is  made  aware  of  the 
fact  that  the  librar}^  which  welcomes  him  to  the  free  en- 
jo3'ment  of  its  treasures  cannot  well  afford  to  buy  another. 

It  is  disheartening  to  read,  in  an  annual  report  of  a  pub- 
lic library  of  circulation  in  Massachusetts,  that  many  of  its 
popular  books  are  so  soiled  and  defaced,  after  a  few  read- 
ings, as  to  be  unfit  for  further  service ;  that  books  of  poetry 
are  despoiled  by  the  scissors  to  save  trouble  of  copying 
verses  wanted;  that  plates  are  often  abstracted,  and  that 
many  magazines  "seem  to  be  taken  from  the  library  for  no 
other  reason  than  that  private  scrap-books  may  be  enriched 
or  restless  children  amused."  The  only  remedy  suggested 
is  to  examine  each  book  before  again  giving  it  out,  and,  if 
returned  defaced,  to  hold  the  borrower  responsible. 

The  art  of  cleaning  books  that  are  stained  or  dirty,  is  a 
matter  not  widely  known,  and  in  this  country  there  are 
few  experts  at  it.  Some  of  these  keep  closely  guarded  the 
methods  they  use  to  cleanse  a  book.  Comparatively  few 
libraries  avail  themselves  of  the  practice  of  washing  their 
soiled  volumes,  as  the  process  is  too  expensive  for  most  of 
them,  and  so  they  are  accustomed  to  let  the  library  books 
remain  in  use  and  re-issue  them  again  and  again,  until 
they  become  so  filthy  as  to  be  quite  unfit  to  ])e  seen — much 
less  handled  by  any  reader. 

But  there  are  often  valuable  or  rare  works  wliich  have 
sustained  interior  injury,  and  which  it  is  desired  to  restore 
to  a  clean  condition.  The  best  method  is  to  take  the  book 
apart  as  the  first  step.  When  separated  into  sheets,  those 
leaves  which  are  merely  dirty  should  be  placed  in  a  batli 
composed  of  about  four  ounces  of  chloride  of  lime,  dis- 
solved in  a  quart  of  water.  They  shoidd  soak  until  all 
stains  are  removed,  and  the  paper  is  restored  to  its  proper 
color.     Then  the  pages  should  be  washed  in  cold  water — 


1-S  A    BOOK   FOR   ALL    READERS. 

niuuiiig  water  is  preferable — and  allowed  to  soak  about  six 
hours.  This  removes  all  traces  of  the  lime,  which  would 
otherwise  tend  to  rot  or  injure  the  book.  After  this,  the 
sheets  are  to  be  "sized,"  i.  e.,  dipped  in  a  bath  of  size  and 
water,  and  laid  out  to  dry.  This  process  gives  firmness 
and  consistency  to  the  paper,  M'hich  would  otherwise  re- 
main too  soft  to  handle.  The  sheets  should  be  pressed  a 
few  hours  between  glazed  paste-boards,  as  used  in  printing 
offices.  A  cheap  and  simple  size  for  this  purpose  may  be 
made  by  mixing  white  gelatine  with  water,  and  this  may 
be  kept  in  a  bottle,  so  as  to  be  always  conveniently  at  hand. 
The  art  of  restoring  and  rendering  fit  for  handling  books 
and  rare  early  pamphlets  by  sizing  all  the  leaves  is  in  con- 
stant use  in  Europe.  By  this  means,  and  by  piecing  out 
margins,  the  most  rotten  paper,  ready  to  drop  apart  in 
turning  the  leaves,  may  be  restored  to  use,  if  not  quite  to 
its  pristine  condition. 

Ink-spots  or  mildew  stains  may  be  wholly  removed,  when 
freshly  made,  by  applying  a  solution  of  oxalic  or  citric  acid, 
and  then  washing  the  leaf  wdth  a  wet  sponge.  It  is  more 
effectual  to  follow  the  bath  of  oxalic  acid  by  applying  a 
solution  of  one  part  hydrochloric  acid  to  six  parts  of  water, 
after  which  bathe  in  cold  water,  and  dry  slowly.  Or  an 
infusion  of  hypochlorite  of  potash  in  twice  its  volume  of 
water  may  be  used  instead  of  the  preceding. 

If  a  leather-bound  book  has  grease  on  its  cover,  it  can  be 
removed  by  scraping  French  chalk  or  magnesia  over  the 
place,  and  ironing  wdth  a  warm  (not  hot)  iron.  A  simpler 
method  is  to  apply  benzine  to  the  grease  spots,  (which  dis- 
solves the  fatty  material)  and  then  dry  the  spot  quickly 
with  a  fine  cloth.  This  operation  may  be  repeated,  if  not 
effectual  at  the  first  trial.  The  same  method  of  applying 
benzine  to  oily  spots  upon  plates  or  engravings,  will  re- 
move the  stains. 


BESTOEATIOX   AND    RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         129 

Ink-stains  may  also  be  taken  off  from  the  leather  covers 
of  books  bound  in  calf  or  morocco  by  the  use  of  oxalic  acid. 
Care  should  be  taken  first  to  try  the  acid  on  a  piece  of  sim- 
ilar leather  or  on  a  discarded  book  of  the  same  color.  If 
the  leather  is  discolored  after  removing  the  black  spot,  one 
may  apply,  after  taking  out  the  traces  of  oxalic  acid  by 
some  alkali,  a  coloring  matter  similar  to  the  tint  of  the 
leather. 

Spots  or  stains  of  grease  or  oil  are  often  found  in  books. 
They  may  be  wholly  removed  by  applying  carbonate  of 
magnesia  on  both  sides  of  the  leaf  stained,  backed  by 
paper,  and  pressing  with  a  hot  iron,  after  which  the  sheets 
should  be  washed  and  left  under  pressure  over  night.  An- 
other method  is  to  dilute  spirits  of  salts  with  five  times  its 
bulk  of  water,  then  let  the  stained  leaves  lie  in  the  liquid 
four  minutes,  after  which  they  are  to  be  washed.  Still  an- 
other method  is  to  make  a  mixture  of  one  pound  of  soap, 
half  a  pound  of  clay  and  two  ounces  of  lime,  dissolved  in 
water  to  a  proper  consistency;  apply  it  to  the  spots;  fifteen 
minutes  after,  dip  the  leaf  in  a  bath  of  warm  water  for  half 
an  hour,  after  which  dry  and  press  until  smooth. 

Stains  left  by  mud  on  the  leaves  of  a  book  (a  not  un- 
common fate  of  volumes  falling  in  a  wet  street)  can  be  re- 
moved thus:  spread  over  the  spots  a  jelly  composed  of 
white  soap  and  water,  letting  it  remain  about  half  an  hour. 
Then  dip  the  leaf  in  clear  water,  and  remove  the  soap  with 
a  fine  sponge  dijjped  in  warm  water;  all  the  mud  stains 
will  disappear  at  the  same  time.  To  remove  the  last  traces 
of  the  soap,  dip  a  second  time  in  clear  water,  place  tlie  leaf 
between  two  sheets  of  ])lotting  paper,  and  dry  slowly  in  a 
cool  and  shady  place. 

The  same  process,  of  washing  in  soap  and  water,  will  re- 
move what  are  doubtless  the  most  common  of  all  the  soil- 


130  A    IJOOK    roll    ALL    HEADERS. 

ings  that  library  books  undergo,  namely,  the  soil  that 
comes  from  the  dirty  hands  and  fingers  of  readers. 

It  is  sometimes  necessary  to  color  the  sheets  that  have 
been  washed  white,  so  as  to  correspond  in  tint  with  the 
rest  of  the  volume,  which  has  not  needed  that  treatment. 
An  infusion  of  cheap  tobacco  leaves,  or  a  bath  of  brown 
^tout  will  effect  this. 

In  all  these  methods  of  removing  soil  from  the  pages  of 
books,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  give  attention  to  thor- 
ough washing  after  the  chemicals  are  used.  Otherwise 
there  will  remain  an  element  of  destruction  which  will 
sooner  or  later  spoil  the  book,  to  restore  which  so  much 
pains  may  have  been  expended. 

And  one  can  readily  learn  how  to  restore  a  valuable 
book  by  these  methods.  He  should,  however,  first  practice 
on  the  restoration  of  a  volume  of  little  worth — and  ven- 
ture upon  the  treatment  of  a  precious  volume  only  after 
practice  has  made  him  an  expert. 

To  restore  a  fresher  look  to  volumes  whose  bindings  are 
much  rubbed  or  "scuffed"  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  one 
may  spread  over  their  surface  a  little  wet  starch  pretty 
thick,  with  a  little  alum  added,  applied  with  an  old  leather 
glove.  With- this  the  back  of  the  book,  and  the  sides  and 
edges  of  the  boards  should  be  smartly  rubbed,  after  which, 
with  a  fine  rag  rub  off  the  thicker  part  of  the  starch,  and 
the  book  will  present  a  much  brighter  appearance,  besides 
being  rid  of  dust  and  soil. 

There  will  remain  on  the  volume  a  very  slight  deposit 
of  gelatine  or  gluten;  before  it  dries  completely,  the  palm 
of  the  hand  may  be  passed  over  it  at  all  points,  and  the 
leather,  which  may  have  assumed  a  dull  color  from  the 
starch,  will  resume  a  bright  brown  or  other  tint.  If  this 
fails  to  appear,  a  bit  of  flannel,  impregnated  with  a  few 
drops  of  varnish,  should  be  rubbed  over  the  leather,  and 


RESTOKATION   AND   RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         131 

when  nearly  dry,  rub  with  a  white  rag  slightly  touched 
with  olive  oil,  and  a  brilliant  appearance  will  be  given  to 
the  binding. 

When  leaves  are  started,  or  a  signature  becomes  loose  in 
any  volume,  it  should  be  at  once  withdrawn  from  circula- 
tion, or  the  loss  of  an  important  part  of  the  book  may  re- 
sult. The  remedy  commonly  resorted  to,  of  patching  up 
the  book  by  pasting  in  the  loose  leaves,  is  a  mere  make- 
shift which  will  not  last.  The  cause  of  a  loose  signature 
is  generally  to  be  found  in  a  broken  thread  in  the  sewing, 
and  the  only  permanent  cure  is  to  take  the  book  out  of  its 
cover,  and  re-sew  it,  when  it  may  usually  be  re-inserted  in 
the  same  binding.  This  is  for  cloth-bound  books.  When 
bound  in  leather,  it  is  best  to  take  out  the  loose  sheet, 
"overcast"  it,  that  is,  secure  all  the  leaves  by  sewing,  then 
carefully  lay  some  paste  along  the  outer  edge  or  back  of 
the  sheet,  insert  the  sheet  in  its  place,  pressing  it  firmly 
with  a  paper  knife  along  the  middle  of  the  sheet,  and  the 
volume  will  be  restored  ready  for  use  after  a  few  days  dry- 
ing under  weight. 

On  occasion  of  a  fire  next  to  the  Mercantile  Library 
rooms  in  Philadelphia,  in  1877,  great  damage  was  done, 
from  water  thrown  by  the  fire-engines,  to  many  thousands 
of  books.  The  library  authorities  tried  various  methods 
of  restoring  the  volumes,  and  among  others,  drying  them 
in  ovens  was  resorted  to.  This  was  found,  however,  to  dry 
the  books  so  rapidly,  that  the  bindings  cracked,  and  in 
many  cases  came  off,  while  many  volumes  were  much 
warped.  The  most  advantageous  method  that  was  adopt- 
ed was  to  prepare  a  largo  number  of  frames  on  which  many 
wires  were  strung  horizontally  across  a  large  room.  'I'he 
wet  books  (many  of  which  were  soaked  through)  were  sus- 
pended on  these  wires  in  such  a  way  as  to  dry  them  by  de- 


132  A    BOOK   FOR   ALL   EEADERS. 

grees,  the  temperature  of  the  room  being  raised  consider- 
ably by  furnace  heat. 

The  condition  in  wliicli  the  books  were  found  after  the 
wetting  varied  greatly.  Nearly  all  that  were  printed  on 
soft  paper  were  wet  through,  while  those  next  to  them 
printed  on  thick  paper,  and  with  solid  leather  bindings, 
were  scarcely  damaged  at  all.  The  water  stains  constituted 
the  most  serious  injury  to  the  volumes,  and  multitudes  of 
fine  books  that  were  wet  will  always  bear  the  marks  of  the 
stain.  Some  of  the  more  costly  books  were  restored  by 
taking  them  apart,  washing  them  thoroughly,  then  placing 
them  in  a  heated  press,  and  drying  them,  so  that  the  water- 
stains  were  removed.  All  the  books,  however  different  the 
degree  of  damage  from  the  water,  retained  their  legibility, 
and  were  put  to  the  same  uses  in  the  library  as  before  the 
fire  occurred.  None  were  burned,  the  actual  fire  being 
confined  to  the  neighboring  buildings  of  the  block  in  the 
midst  of  which  the  library  was  unfortunately  located. 

The  whole  number  of  volumes  damaged  was  about  55,- 
000,  and  the  insurance,  which  was  assessed  by  referees  at 
the  amount  of  $42,000,  would  nearly  have  replaced  the 
books  by  new  ones.  Many  of  the  volumes  had  to  be  re- 
bound as  the  damage  by  wetting  the  glue  and  paste  which 
are  such  important  elements  in  binding  securely,  led  to 
the  falling  apart  of  the  covers. 

There  are  multitudes  of  books  restored  by  some  one  of 
the  processes  which  have  been  ingeniously  contrived  to 
make  an  old  book  as  good  as  new,  or  an  imperfect  volume 
perfect.  The  art  of  reproducing  in  facsimile,  by  mere 
manual  dexterity  with  the  pen,  letters,  words,  and  whole 
pages,  has  been  carried  to  a  high  degree  of  perfection,  not- 
ably in  London.  A  celebrated  book  restorer  named  Har- 
ris, gained  a  great  reputation  among  book  lovers  and  libra- 
rians by  his  consummate  skill  in  the  reproduction  of  the 


EESTOEATION    AND   EECLAMATIOX    OF   BOOKS.         133 

text  of  black-letter  rarities  and  early-printed  books  of 
every  kind.  To  such  perfection  did  he  carry  the  art  of 
imitating  an  original  that  in  many  cases  one  could  not  dis- 
tinguish the  original  from  the  imitation,  and  even  experts 
have  announced  a  Harris  facsimile  in  a  Shakespeare  folio 
to  be  the  printed  original.  The  art  has  even  been  extend- 
ed to  engravings,  with  such  success  that  the  famous  Droes- 
hout  portrait  of  Shakespeare,  which  illustrates  the  title- 
page  of  the  first  folio  of  1623,  has  been  multiplied  in  pen- 
made  facsimile,  so  as  to  deceive  the  most  careful  scrutiny. 

This  nice  and  difficult  art  is  not  widely  pursued  in  this 
country,  though  there  are  some  experts  among  Xew  York 
and  Philadelphia  book-binders,  who  practice  it.  The  Brit- 
ish Museum  Library  has  a  corps  of  workers  engaged  in  the 
restoration  both  of  books  and  of  manuscripts  (as  well  as  en- 
gravings) who  are  men  of  the  highest  training  and  skill. 

The  process  is  necessarily  quite  expensive,  because  of  the 
time  required  and  of  the  small  number  of  competing  art- 
ists in  this  field.  It  is  chiefl}'  confined  to  the  restoration 
of  imperfect  copies  of  early  printed  and  rare  books,  which 
are  so  frequently  found  in  imperfect  condition,  often  want- 
ing title-pages  or  the  final  leaves,  or  parts  of  pages  in  any 
part  of  the  volume. 

So  costly,  indeed,  is  this  skilful  hand-restoration  of  im- 
perfect books,  that  it  has  been  a  great  boon  to  the  collect- 
ors of  libraries  and  rare  works,  to  see  the  arts  of  photogra- 
phy so  developed  in  recent  years,  as  to  reproduce  with  al- 
most exact  fidelity  printed  matter  of  any  kind  from  the 
pages  of  books.  The  cost  of  such  facsimiles  of  course 
varies  with  the  locality,  the  work,  tlie  skill,  or  the  compe- 
tition involved.  But  it  may  1)0  said  in  general  iliat  the 
average  cost  of  book-page  fafsimilcs  by  photographic  pro- 
cess need  not  exceed  one  dollar  a  page. 

An  entire  edition  of  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica  has 


134  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

been  printed  from  plates  made  in  replica  from  photographs 
of  the  original  text  of  the  Edinburgh  edition.  The  repro- 
duction in  this  case  can  hardly  be  commended,  as  it  is  tr}^- 
ing  to  the  eyes  to  read,  when  compared  with  the  original, 
presenting  a  somewhat  blurred  and  irregular  aspect  to 
the  eyes. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  lay  down  rules  which  shall  be  ef- 
fective in  checking  the  abuse  of  books  which  compels  ex- 
ercise of  the  means  of  restoration.  Writing  upon  margins 
(already  referred  to)  may  sometimes  be  checked  by  putting 
a  printed  slip  in  every  library  book  bearing  the  warning — 
"Xever  write  in  a  library  book."  To  this  may  be  added — 
"Never  turn  down  leaves,"  an  equally  important  injunc- 
tion. Indeed,  a  whole  list  of  "Dont's"  might  be  inserted, 
but  for  the  chance  that  too  many  warnings  might  operate 
to  warn  off  a  reader  from  absorbing  any  of  them.     Thus — 

"Don't  soil  any  book 

Don't  write  on  margins 

Don't  turn  down  leaves 

Don't  lay  a  book  on  its  face  open 

Don't  wet  fingers  to  turn  leaves 

Don't  fail  to  use  the  book-mark 

Don't  read  with  unclean  hands." 

As  a  loose  slip  is  liable  to  fall  out,  some  such  reminder 
should  be  pasted  into  the  fly-leaf  of  every  book,  next  the 
book-plate. 

A  self-respecting  reader  will  generally  heed  such  hints, 
which  a  moment's  reflection  will  teach  him  are  meant  to 
preserve  the  library  book  clean  and  presentable  for  his 
own  use,  as  well  as  for  that  of  others.  But  there  will  al- 
w'ays  be  some  rude,  boorish  people  who  will  persist  in  their 
brutal  and  destructive  treatment  of  books,  in  the  face  of 
whatever  warnings.  How  to  deal  with  such  unwelcome 
persons  is  an  ever-present  problem  with  the  librarian.     If 


RESTORATION   AND   RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         135 

sustained  by  the  other  library  authorities,  a  really  effectual 
remedy  is  to  deny  the  further  use  of  the  library  to  any  of- 
fender clearly  proven  to  have  subjected  library  books  to 
damage  while  in  his  hands.  Some  librarians  go  so  far  as 
to  post  the  names  of  such  offenders  in  the  library  hall,  stat- 
ing tliat  they  are  denied  the  privileges  of  the  library  by 
the  authorities,  for  mutilating  books. 

In  any  case,  great  care  must  be  taken  to  have  the  clear- 
est proof,  before  proceeding  to  fasten  the  offense  upon  a 
particular  individual.  This  involves,  where  the  injury  is 
not  committed  in  the  presence  of  any  library  officer,  so  as 
to  be  observed,  but  has  been  done  while  the  book  was 
drawn  out,  an  examination  of  each  volume  before  giving  it 
out.  If  this  rule  were  to  l)e  observed  as  to  all,  it  would  en- 
tail an  expense  tliat  few  libraries  could  afford.  In  a  large 
circulating  library  in  a  city,  it  might  require  the  entire 
time  of  two  assistants  to  collate  the  books  before  re-issuing 
them.  The  circumstances  of  each  library  must  determine 
how  to  deal  with  this  matter.  Probably  the  majority  will 
limit  the  close  examination  of  books  before  giving  them 
out,  to  cases  where  there  is  reason  to  suspect  wilful  con- 
tinued soiling,  scribbling,  or  dog's-earing.  A  few  such 
cases  once  detected  and  dealt  with  will  have  a  most  salu- 
tary restraining  influence  upon  others,  especially  if  re-en- 
forced by  frequent  and  judicious  paragraphs  in  the  local 
press,  setting  forth  the  offense  and  the  remedy. 

But  all  in  vain  will  be  the  endeavor  to  abate  these  de- 
facements and  consequent  waste  of  the  library  books,  un- 
less it  is  enforced  by  a  positive  law,  with  penal  provisions, 
to  punish  offenders  who  mutilate  or  deface  books  that  arc 
public  property.  A  good  model  of  such  a  statute  is  tlic 
following,  slightly  abridged  as  to  verbiage,  from  an  act  of 
Tongrcss,  of  which  we  procured  the  onactmont  in  the  year 
1878: 


136  A   BOOK   FOli   ALL    READERS. 

"Any  person  who  steals,  defaces,  injures,  mutilates, 
tears,  or  destroys  any  book,  pamphlet,  work  of  art,  or  man- 
uscript, belonging  to  any  public  library,  or  to  the  United 
States,  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  shall  be  fined  ten  dol- 
lars to  one  hundred  dollars,  and  punished  by  imprisonment 
from  one  to  twelve  months,  for  every  such  offense." 

This  act  will  be  found  in  the  United  States  Statutes  at 
Large,  Vol.  20,  p.  171.  It  would  be  well  if  the  term  "pe- 
riodical" were  added  to  the  list  of  objects  to  be  protected, 
to  avoid  all  risk  of  a  failure  to  punish  the  mutilation  of 
newspapers  and  magazines,  by  pleading  technical  points, 
of  which  lawyers  are  prone  to  avail  themselves  in  aiding  of- 
fenders to  escape  conviction. 

It  will  be  observed,  that  the  word  "deface,"  employed  in 
this  statute,  actually  covers  the  marking  of  margins  by  any 
reader,  all  such  marking  constituting  a  defacement  within 
the  meaning  of  the  law. 

"While  the  great  multitude  of  readers  who  frequent  our 
public  libraries  are  honest  and  trustworthy,  there  are  al- 
ways some  who  are  conspicuously  the  reverse.  It  is  rarely 
safe  in  a  large  public  library  to  admit  readers  to  the 
shelves,  without  the  company  or  the  surveillance  of  an  at- 
tendant. And  it  is  not  alone  the  uncultivated  reader  who 
cannot  be  trusted;  the  experience  of  librarians  is  almost 
uniform  to  the  effect  that  literary  men,  and  special  schol- 
ars, as  well  as  the  collectors  of  rare  books,  are  among  those 
who  watch  the  opportunity  to  purloin  what  they  wish  to 
save  themselves  the  cost  of  buying.  Sometimes,  you  may 
find  your  most  valuable  work  on  coins  mutilated  by  the  ab- 
straction of  a  plate,  carried  off  by  some  student  of  numis- 
matics. Sometimes,  you  may  discover  a  fine  picture  or 
portrait  abstracted  from  a  book  by  some  lover  of  art  or  col- 
lector of  portraits.  Again,  you  may  be  horrified  by  find- 
ing a  whole  sermon  torn  out  of  a  volume  of  theology  by  a 


EESTOKATIOX   AND   RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         137 

theological  student  or  even  a  clergyman.  All  these  things 
have  happened,  and  are  liable  to  happen  again.  No  li- 
brary is  safe  that  is  not  closely  watched  and  guarded.  In 
the  Astor  library  a  literary  man  actually  tore  out  sixty 
pages  of  the  Revue  de  Paris,  and  added  to  the  theft  the 
fraud  of  plagiarism,  by  translating  from  the  stolen  leaves 
an  article  which  he  sold  to  Appleton's  Journal  as  an  orig- 
inal production! 

In  this  case,  the  culprit,  though  detected,  could  not  be 
punished,  the  law  -of  Xew  York  requiring  the  posting  in 
the  library  of  the  statute  prohibiting  mutilation  or  other 
injury  to  the  books,  and  this  posting  had  not  been  done. 
The  law  has  since  been  amended,  to  make  the  penalties  ab- 
solute and  unconditional. 

In  the  Astor  Library,  over  six  hundred  volumes  were 
discovered  to  have  been  mutilated,  including  art  works. 
Patent  office  reports,  magazines,  newspapers,  and  even  en- 
cyclopaedias. The  books  stolen  from  that  library  had  been 
manv,  until  several  exposures  and  punishment  of  thieves 
inspired  a  wholesome  dread  of  a  similar  fate. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association,  one 
member  inquired  whether  there  was  any  effectual  way  to 
prevent  the  abstraction  of  books.  He  was  answered  by 
another  librarian  (from  Cincinnati)  who  replied  that  he 
knew  of  only  one  efTecfual  method,  and  tliat  was  to  keep  a 
man  standing  over  each  book  with  a  club.  Of  course  this 
was  a  humorous  paradox,  not  to  be  taken  lilcrnlly,  but  it 
jjoints  a  moral. 

Seriously,  however,  the  evil  may  be  greatly  curtailed, 
(tliough  we  may  be  hopeless  of  absolute  prevention)  by 
adopting  the  precautions  already  referred  to.  In  the  Li- 
brary of  the  British  ^luseum,  a  great  lil)rary  of  reference, 
from  which  no  book  is  permit  tcrl  to  be  taken  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, the  evil  of  mutilation  was  much  reduced  by 


138  A    BOOK    von    ALL    READERS. 

prosecuting  and  posting  the  oifenders  publicl3^  After  a 
few  years,  the  obnoxious  practice  had  so  far  ceased,  that 
the  placards,  having  an  unpleasant  aspect,  .were  taken 
down.  But  on  renewal  of  such  depredations  and  deface- 
ments of  books  by  readers,  the  placards  were  renewed,  and 
some  of  the  mutilated  books,  suitably  labelled,  were  posted 
in  the  great  reading  room  before  the  eyes  of  all.  The  au- 
thorities of  the  British  Museum  are  convinced  of  the  salu- 
tary effects  of  such  warnings,  though  books  are  sometimes 
stolen  or  mutilated  under  the  liberal  management  which 
leaves  several  thousand  volumes  open  for  reference,  with- 
out tickets. 

The  late  Dr.  Vs'm.  F.  Poole,  the  Chicago  librarian,  re- 
corded his  experience  in  dealing  with  some  clergymen, 
who,  said  he,  seem  to  have  as  regards  books,  an  imperfect 
appreciation  of  the  laws  of  meum  and  tuum.  He  had 
found  ministers  more  remiss  in  returning  books  than  any 
other  class  of  men.  He  would  by  no  means  reflect  on  a 
noble  and  sacred  profession  by  charging  the  derelictions  of 
a  few  upon  the  many.  But  he  had  had  unpleasant  experi- 
ences with  men  of  that  profession,  who  had  absolutely  pur- 
loined books  from  the  Public  Library,  removed  the  book- 
plates and  library  stamp,  and  covered  the  volumes  with 
paper  carefully  pasted  down  inside  of  the  covers. 

A  librarian  in  Massachusetts  testified  that  it  was  com- 
mon experience  that  clergymen  and  professional  men  gave 
the  most  trouble.  Second-hand  book-dealers  in  Boston 
had  found  a  judge  of  the  court  purloining  rare  pamphlets, 
and  ministers  making  away  with  pamphlet  sermons  under 
their  coats.  Without  insisting  here  upon  any  such  exten- 
uations of  such  practices  as  the  prevalence  of  kleptomania, 
it  has  been  made  abundantly  manifest  that  theft  and  muti- 
lation of  books  are  sufficiently  common  to  demonstrate  the 
weakness  of  human  nature,  and  the  necessity  of  every  safe- 


BESTORATIOX    AND   RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         139 

guard  which  public  libraries  can  provide  against  such 
abuses  of  their  treasures. 

A  Boston  librarian  stated  that  the  thieves  or  mutilators 
of  books  included  school-boys,  clerks,  students,  teachers, 
soldiers,  physicians,  la^^^ers,  clergymen,  etc.  In  only  one 
case  was  the  crime  committed  through  want  or  suffering. 
Yet,  though  the  offenders  had  been  proven  guilty  in  every 
instance,  only  two  cases  were  known  in  which  the  penalty 
of  the  law  had  been  enforced.  Does  not  this  bespeak  lax- 
ity of  public  morals  in  Boston  in  regard  to  such  abuses  of 
library  property? 

The  Union  Theological  Seminary  at  New  York  recorded 
its  experience  with  ministers  and  theological  students,  to 
the  effect  that  its  library  had  lost  more  than  a  thousand 
volumes,  taken  and  not  returned.  This  of  course  included 
what  were  charged  out,  but  could  not  be  recovered. 

A  librarian  in  Auburn,  N".  Y.,  returning  from  vacation, 
found  that  the  American  Architect,  an  important  illus- 
trated weekly,  had  been  mutilated  in  seven  different  vol- 
umes, and  that  130  pages  in  all  had  been  stolen.  Fortu- 
nately, she  was  able  to  trace  the  reader  who  had  been  us- 
ing the  work,  and  succeeded  in  recovering  the  abstracted 
plates.  The  offender  was  prosecuted  to  conviction,  and 
had  to  pay  a  fine  of  fifty  dollars. 

It  often  happens  that  books  which  disappear  mysteri- 
ously from  a  public  library  re-appcar  quite  as  mysteriously. 
Tliose  taking  them,  finding  that  the  rules  do  not  allow  cer- 
tain books  to  leave  the  library,  make  a  law  unto  them- 
selves, carry  off  the  book  wanted,  keep  it  until  road,  and 
tlion  return  it  surreptitiously,  by  replacing  it  on  some  shell' 
or  table,  when  no  one  is  looking.  This  is  where  no  inten- 
tion of  stealing  the  book  exists,  and  the  borrower  wilfully 
makes  his  own  convenience  override  the  library  regula- 
tions, in  the  belief  that  he  will  not  be  found  out.     The 


]40  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

Buffalo  Young  Men's  Library  reported  in  one  year  eigh- 
teen illustrated  works  on  the  fine  arts,  reserved  from  being 
taken  out  by  its  by-laws,  as  disappearing  for  weeks,  but 
brought  back  in  this  underlianded  manner.  In  other 
cases  of  such  return,  it  is  likely  that  the  purpose  was  to 
keep  the  book,  but  that  conscience  or  better  thoughts,  or 
fear  of  detection  prevailed,  and  secured  its  return. 

Some  instances  where  leniency  has  been  exercised  to 
save  book  thieves  from  penalties  may  be  instructive.  One 
man  who  had  carried  off  and  sold  two  volumes  from  the 
Astor  Library  was  traced  and  arrested,  when  he  pleaded 
that  absolute  want  had  driven  him  to  the  act.  He  had  a 
wife  ill  and  starving  at  his  home,  and  this  on  investigation 
proving  true,  he  was  pardoned  and  saved  further  misery. 

In  another  case,  a  poor  German  had  stolen  a  volume  of 
the  classics  which  he  pawned  for  a  small  sum  to  get  bread 
for  himself,  being  long  out  of  work,  and  in  a  condition 
bordering  closely  upon  starvation.  He  was  released,  the 
book  reclaimed,  and  the  offender  turned  over  to  the  agen- 
cies of  public  charity. 

A  librarian  of  'New  York  gave  it  as  his  experience  that 
some  ministers  are  not  to  be  trusted  any  more  than  other 
people.  Some  of  them  like  to  write  their  opinions  on  the 
margins  of  the  books.  He  found  one  of  the  library  books 
written  on  in  thirty  pages,  recognized  the  hand-writing, 
and  wrote  to  the  reverend  gentleman  asking  an  interview. 
He  came,  admitted  the  fact,  and  said  that  his  notes  made 
the  book  more  valuable.  This  ingenious  excuse  did  not 
satisfy  the  librarian,  who  said,  "others  do  not  think  so,  sir; 
so  if  you  will  get  us  a  new  book,  you  may  keep  the  more 
valuable  one."  He  soon  brought  in  a  new  copy,  and  the 
matter  ended. 

At  the  New  York  Mercantile  Library,  a  young  lady, 
amply  able  to  buy  all  the  books  she  could  want,  was  dis- 


RESTORATION    AND   RECLAMATION    OF    BOOKS.         1-il 

covered  going  out  of  the  library  with  one  book  iu  her  hand 
which  she  was  entitled  to,  it  being  charged,  and  with  five 
others  hidden  under  her  cloak,  without  permission. 

Mr.  Melvil  Dewey  has  truly  said  that  it  is  very  hard 
to  tell  a  library  thief  at  sight.  Well-dressed,  gentlemanly, 
even  sanctimonious  looking  men  are  among  them,  and  the 
wife  of  a  well-known  college  professor,  detected  in  pur- 
loining books,  begged  so  hard  not  to  be  exposed,  that  she 
was  reluctantly  pardoned,  and  even  restored  to  library 
privileges. 

A  prominent  la^vj-er  of  Brooklyn,  of  distinguished  ap- 
pearance and  fine  manners,  did  not  steal  books,  but  his 
specialty  was  magazines  and  newspapers,  which  he  carried 
off  frequently.  Being  caught  at  it  one  day,  and  accused 
by  the  librarian,  he  put  on  an  air  of  dignity,  declared  he 
was  insulted,  and  walked  out.  The  librarian  found  the 
periodical  he  had  taken  thrown  down  in  the  entry,  and  he 
never  after  frequented  that  library. 

It  is  curious  and  instructive  to  know  the  experience  of 
some  libraries  regarding  the  theft  or  mutilation  of  books. 
Thus,  in  the  public  library  of  Woburn,  Mass.,  a  case  of 
mutilation  occurred  by  the  cutting  out  of  a  picture  from 
"Drake's  Historic  Fields  and  Mansions  of  Middlesex 
County."  On  discovery  of  the  loss,  a  reward  of  $10  was  of- 
fered for  information  leading  to  detection  of  the  culprit. 
This  was  published  in  the  town  paper,  and  an  article  was 
yirinlcd  calling  attention  to  these  library  thefts  and  abuses, 
followed  by  citing  the  State  law  making  such  depredations 
a  penal  offense.  Within  a  week  the  missing  plate  came 
back  to  the  librarian  through  the  mail — anonymously  of 
cour.se,  the  person  who  had  abstracted  it  finding  that  it 
was  rather  an  unsafe  picture  to  keep  or  exhibit,  and  so 
choosing  to  make  his  best  policy  honesty,  though  rather 
tardy  in  coming  to  that  wise  conclusion. 


142  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

This  experience,  and  others  here  cited,  may  serve  as  a 
hint  ^vhat  course  to  pursue  under  similar  circumstances, 
in  tlie  reclamation  of  library  books. 

In  the  Library  of  the  London  Institution,  continuous 
thefts  of  valuable  editions  of  the  classics  had  occurred. 
Putting  a  detective  in  the  library,  a  young  man  of  suspi- 
cious demeanor  was  soon  identified  as  the  thief,  and  was  fol- 
lowed and  arrested  in  the  very  act  of  selling  a  library  book. 
He  proved  to  be  a  young  man  of  good  family,  education 
and  previous  good  character;  but  the  library  had  suffered 
such  losses  from  his  depredations,  that  no  mercy  was 
shown,  and  he  received  and  underwent, the  sentence  to  two 
months  imprisonment. 

It  may  be  added  as  an  instance  of  methods  availed  of  in 
London  to  trace  missing  books,  that  the  librarian,  knowing 
from  the  vacancies  on  the  shelves  what  books  had  been  ab- 
stracted, printed  a  list  of  them,  sent  it  to  every  second- 
hand book-dealer  in  London,  at  the  same  time  supplying 
it  to  the  police,  who  circulate  daily  a  list  of  missing  prop- 
erty among  all  the  pawn-brokers'  shops  in  the  city,  and 
recovered  all  the  books  within  twenty-four  hours. 

The  Mercantile  Library  of  Philadelphia  missed  a  num- 
ber of  valuable  books  from  its  shelves,  and  on  a  watch 
being  set,  a  physician  in  the  most  respectable  rank  in  socie- 
ty was  detected  as  the  purloiner,  and  more  than  fifty  vol- 
umes recovered  from  him. 

A  library  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  reported  the  almost  incredi- 
ble incident  of  a  thief  having  hidden  under  his  coat,  and 
carried  off,  a  Webster's  LTnabridged  Dictionary! 

In  most  cases  of  detected  theft  or  mutilation  of  books, 
strong  appeals  are  made  by  the  culprit  or  his  friends  to 
save  exposure  by  public  prosecution.  These  are  com- 
monly, in  the  case  of  persons  in  very  respectable  circum- 
stances in  life,  not  so  much  to  avoid  paying  fines  imposed 


RESTORATIOX    AND   EECLAMATIOX    OF    BOOKS.         143 

by  law  as  to  avoid  the  disgrace  attached  to  publicity,  and 
the  consequent  damage  done  to  the  character  of  the  in- 
dividual. It  is  probably  true  that  in  a  majority  of  cases, 
such  influences  have  been  strong  enough  to  overcome  the 
determination  of  the  librarian  or  library  authorities  to  let 
the  lavs^  take  its  course.  Now,  while  it  must  be  admitted 
that  there  is  no  rule  without  some  valid  exception  that  may 
be  made,  it  is  nevertheless  to  be  insisted  upon  that  due  pro- 
tection to  public  property  in  libraries  demands  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  laws  enacted  to  that  end.  The  consequence 
of  leniency  to  the  majority  of  book  thieves  would  be  not 
only  an  indirect  encouragement  to  the  culprits  to  continue 
their  depredations,  but  it  would  also  lead  to  a  lax  and  dan- 
gerous notion  of  the  obligations  of  readers,  and  the  sacred- 
ness  of  such  property,  in  the  public  mind.  Enforcement 
of  the  penalties  of  wrong-doing,  on  the  other  hand,  tends 
unquestionably  to  deter  others,  both  by  tlie  fear  of  pub- 
licity which  must  follow  detection,  and  by  terror  of  the 
penalty  which  is  or  may  be  imprisonment  for  a  consider- 
able term,  besides  the  imposing  of  a  fine. 

At  the  "Worcester,  Mass.,  Public  Library,  a  young  man 
of  twenty-two  was  detected  in  stealing  a  book,  obliged  to 
confess,  and  prosecuted.  Much  pressure  was  brought  to 
l)oar  by  his  family  and  friends,  very  respectable  people,  to 
save  him  from  the  penalty.  The  Court,  however,  imposed 
a  fine  of  thirty  dollars,  and  it  being  represented  that  his 
relatives  would  have  to  pay  the  amount,  thougli  innocent 
parties,  the  judge  suspended  the  sentence  until  the  young 
man  should  pay  it  in  instalments  from  his  own  earnings, 
one  of  the  family  giving  bail.  The  valuable  lesson  was  in 
this  way  not  lost,  either  to  the  offender  or  to  the  com- 
munity; the  law  was  enforced,  and  the  young  man  porliaps 
saved  from  a  life  of  wrong-doing,  while  if  he  bad  Ix-cn  let 


144  A   BOOK    FOK    ALL    READEKS 

off  scot-free,  in  deference  to  the  influence  exerted  to  that 
end,  he  might  have  gone  from  bad  to  worse. 

At  the  Pratt  Institute  Free  Library  in  Brooklyn,  books 
had  been  disappearing  from  the  reference  department  at 
intervals  of  about  a  week,  and  a  watch  was  instituted.  Af- 
ter some  weeks'  fruitless  watching,  a  young  man  who  came 
frequently  to  consult  books  was  singled  out  as  the  probable 
offender,  and  the  eyes  of  the  library  staff  were  centered 
upon  him.  The  janitor  watched  his  movements  for  some 
days,  from  a  concealed  post  of  observation,  as  the  young 
man  walked  back  and  forth  between  the  book  stacks,  and 
one  day  caught  him  in  the  act  of  slipping  a  book  into  his 
pocket,  and  arrested  him  as  he  was  leaving  the  building. 
He  had  stolen  a  dozen  books  from  the  library,  all  but  three 
of  which  were  recovered.  He  claimed  to  be  a  theological 
student,  and  that  he  had  taken  the  books  merely  for  the 
purposes  of  study.  Much  sympathy  was  expressed  for  him 
by  people  who  believed  that  this  was  his  motive,  and  that 
it  was  some  partial  atonement  for  his  offense.  The  grief 
of  his  relatives  at  his  disgrace  was  intense.  The  Court 
sentenced  him  to  eight  years  in  the  penitentiary,  but  sus- 
pended the  sentence  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  was  a  first 
offense,  by  a  youth  of  twenty-one  years.  He  was  put  un- 
der police  surveillance  for  his  good  behavior  (equivalent  to 
being  paroled)  but  the  sentence  becomes  active  upon  any 
further  transgression  of  the  law  on  his  part. 

It  may  be  gathered  from  these  many  cases  of  library 
depredations,  that  they  are  very  common,  that  perpetual 
vigilance  is  the  price  of  safety,  that  punishment  in  nearly 
all  cases  is  wiser  than  pardon,  and  that  the  few  exceptions 
made  should  be  mostly  confined  to  offenders  who  steal 
books  under  desperate  necessity  or  actual  want. 


CHAPTER  7. 

Pamphlet  Literature. 

What  is  a  pamphlet?  is  a  question  which  is  by  no  means 
capable  of  being  scientifically  answered.  Yet,  to  the  libra- 
rian dealing  continually  with  a  mass  of  pamphlets,  books, 
and  periodicals,  it  becomes  important  to  define  somewhere, 
the  boundary  line  between  the  pamphlet  and  the  book. 
The  dictionaries  will  not  aid  us,  for  they  all  call  the  pamph- 
let "a  few  sheets  of  printed  paper  stitched  together,  but  not 
bound."  Suppose  (as  often  happens)  that  you  bind  your 
pamphlet,  does  it  then  cease  to  be  a  pamphlet,  and  become 
a  book?  Again,  most  pamphlets  now  published  are  not 
stitched  at  all,  but  stabbed  and  wired  to  fasten  the  leaves 
together.  The  origin  of  the  word  "pamphlet,"  is  in  great 
doubt.  A  plausible  derivation  is  from  two  French  words, 
"paume,"  and  "feuillet,"  literally  a  hand-leaf;  and  another 
derives  the  word  from  a  corruption  of  Latin — "papyrus," 
paper,  into  pampUus,  or  panfletus,  whence  pamphlet.  The 
word  is  in  Shakespeare: 

"Comest  thou  with  deep  premeditated  lines, 
With  written  pamphlets  studiously  devised?" 

But  we  also  find  "pamphlets  and  bookys,"  in  a  work 
printed  by  Caxton  in  1490,  a  hundred  years  before  Shakes- 
peare. 

Whatever  the  origin,  the  common  acceptation  of  the 
word  is  plain,  signifying  a  little  book,  though  where  the 
pamphlet  ends,  and  the  book  begins,  is  uncertain.  The 
rule  of  the  British  Museum  Library  calls  every  i)rinted 
publication  of  one  hundred  pages  or  less,  a  pamphlet. 
This  is  arbitrary,  and  so  would  any  other  rule  be.     Ab 

(146) 


146  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

that  library  binds  its  2)ainphlets  separately,  and  counts 
them  in  its  aggregate  of  volumes,  the  reason  for  any  dis- 
tinction in  the  matter  is  not  plain.  Some  of  the  govern- 
ment libraries  in  Europe  are  greatly  overrated  numerically 
by  reckoning  pamphlets  as  volumes.  Thus,  the  Royal  Li- 
brary at  Munich,  in  Bavaria,  has  been  ranked  fourth  among 
the  libraries  of  the  world,  claiming  over  a  million  volumes, 
but  as  it  reckons  every  university  thesis,  or  discussion  of 
some  special  topic  by  candidates  for  degrees,  as  a  volume, 
and  has  perhaps  400,000  of  this  prolific  class  of  publica- 
tions, it  is  actually  not  so  large  as  some  American  libraries, 
which  count  their  pamphlets  as  distinct  from  books  in 
their  returns. 

The  pamphlet,  or  thin  book,  or  tract  (as  some  prefer  to 
call  it)  is  reckoned  by  some  librarians  as  a  nuisance,  and 
by  others  as  a  treasure.  That  it  forms  rather  a  trouble- 
some asset  in  the  wealth  of  a  library  cannot  be  doubted. 
Pamphlets  taken  singly,  will  not  stand  upon  the  shelves; 
they  will  curl  up,  become  dogs-eared,  accumulate  dust,  and 
get  in  the  way  of  the  books.  If  kept  in  piles,  as  is  most 
frequent,  it  is  very  hard  to  get  at  any  one  that  is  wanted 
in  the  mass.  Then  it  is  objected  to  them,  that  the  major- 
ity of  them  are  worthless,  that  they  cost  altogether  too 
much  money,  and  time,  and  pains,  to  catalogue  them,  and 
that  they  are  useless  if  not  catalogued;  that  if  kept  bound, 
they  cost  the  library  a  sum  out  of  all  proportion  to  their 
value;  that  they  accumulate  so  rapidly  (much  faster,  in 
fact,  than  books)  as  to  outrun  the  means  at  the  disposal  of 
any  library  to  deal  with  them;  in  short,  that  they  cost  more 
than  they  come  to,  if  bound,  and  if  unbound,  they  vex  the 
soul  of  the  librarian  day  by  day. 

This  is  one  side  of  the  pamphlet  question;  and  it  may 
be  candidly  admitted,  that  in  most  libraries,  the  accumula- 
tion of  uncatalogued  and  unbound  pamphlets  is  one  of  the 


PAMPHLET    LITERATURE.  147 

chief  among  those  arrears  which  form  the  skeleton  in  the 
closet  of  the  librarian.  But  there  is  another  side  to  the 
matter.  It  is  always  possible  to  divide  your  pamphlets 
into  two  classes — the  important,  and  the  insignificant. 
Some  of  them  have  great  historical,  or  economic,  or  intel- 
lectual value;  others  are  as  nearly  worthless  as  it  is  possi- 
ble for  any  printed  matter  to  be.  Why  should  you  treat  a 
pamphlet  upon  Pears's  soap,  or  a  quack  medicine,  or  ad- 
vertising the  Columbia  bicycle,  with  the  same  attention 
which  you  would  naturall}^  give  to  an  essay  on  interna- 
tional politics  by  Gladstone,  or  a  review  of  the  Cuban 
question  by  a  prominent  Spaniard,  or  a  tract  on  Chinese 
immigration  by  Minister  Seward,  or  the  pamphlet  geneal- 
ogy of  an  American  family?  Take  out  of  the  mass  of 
pamphlets,  as  they  come  in,  what  appear  to  you  the  more 
valuable,  or  the  more  liable  to  be  called  for;  catalogue  and 
bind  them,  or  file  them  away,  according  to  the  use  which 
they  are  likely  to  have:  relegate  the  rest,  assorted  always 
by  subject-matters  or  classes,  to  marked  piles,  or  to  pamph- 
let cases,  according  to  your  means ;  and  the  problem  is  ap- 
proximately solved. 

To  condemn  any  pamphlet  to  "innocuous  desuetude," 
or  to  permanent  banishment  from  among  the  intellectual 
stores  of  a  library,  merely  because  it  is  innocent  of  a  stiff 
cover,  is  to  despoil  the  temple  of  learning  and  reject  the 
good  things  of  Providence.  What  great  and  influential 
publications  have  appeared  in  the  world  in  the  guise  of 
pamphlets!  ]\[ilton's  immortal  "Areopagitica,  or  Plea  for 
TJnlicenced  Printing,"  was  a  pamphlet  of  oidy  forty  pages; 
Webster's  speech  for  the  Union,  in  reply  to  Haync,  was  a 
pamphlet;  every  play  of  Shakespeare,  that  was  printed  in 
his  life-time,  was  a  pamphlet;  Charles  Sumner's  discourse 
on  "The  True  Crandeur  of  Nations"  was  a  pamphlet;  the 
Crisis"  and  "Common  Sense"  of  Thomas  Paine,  which 


"r< 


148  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

fired  the  American  heart  in  the  Revolution,  were  pamph- 
lets. Strike  out  of  literature,  ancient  and  modern,  what 
was  first  published  in  pamphlets,  and  you  would  leave  it 
the  poorer  and  weaker  to  an  incalculable  degree. 

Pamphlets  are  not  only  vehicles  of  thought  and  opinion, 
and  propagandists  of  new  ideas;  they  are  often  also  store- 
houses of  facts,  repositories  of  history,  annals  of  biography, 
records  of  genealogy,  treasuries  of  statistics,  chronicles  of 
invention  and  discovery.  They  sometimes  throw  an  un- 
expected light  upon  obscure  questions  where  all  books  are 
silent.  Being  published  for  the  most  part  upon  some  sub- 
ject that  was  interesting  the  public  mind  when  written, 
they  reflect,  as  in  a  mirror,  the  social,  political,  and  re- 
ligious spirit  and  life  of  the  time.  As  much  as  news- 
papers, they  illustrate  the  civilization  (or  want  of  it)  of  an 
epoch,  and  multitudes  of  them,  preserved  in  great  libraries, 
exhibit  this  at  those  early  periods  when  no  newspapers  ex- 
isted as  vehicles  of  public  opinion.  Many  of  the  govern- 
ment libraries  of  Europe  have  been  buying  up  for  many 
years  past,  the  rare,  early-printed  pamphlets  of  their  re- 
spective countries,  paying  enormous  prices  for  what,  a  cen- 
tury ago,  they  would  have  slighted,  even  as  a  gift. 

When  Thomas  Carlyle  undertook  to  write  the  life  of 
Oliver  Cromwell,  and  to  resurrect  from  the  dust-bins  of 
two  centuries,  the  letters  and  speeches  of  the  great  Pro- 
tector, he  found  his  richest  quarry  in  a  collection  of 
pamphlets  in  the  British  Museum  Library.  An  indefatig- 
able patriot  and  bookseller,  named  Thomason,  had  care- 
fully gathered  and  kept  every  pamphlet,  book,  periodical, 
or  broadside  that  appeared  from  the  British  press,  during 
the  whole  time  from  A.  D.  1649  to  1660,  the  period  of  the 
interregnum  in  the  English  monarchy,  represented  by 
Cromwell  and  the  Commonwealth.  This  vast  collection, 
numbering  over  20,000  pamphlets,  bound  in  2,000  vol- 


PAMPHLET    LITERATURE.  149 

umes,  after  escaping  the  perils  of  fire,  and  of  both  hostile 
armies,  was  finally  purchased  by  the  King,  and  afterward 
presented  to  the  British  ]\Iuseum  Library.  Its  complete- 
ness is  one  great  source  of  its  value,  furnishing,  as  it  does, 
to  the  historical  student  of  that  exceedingly  interesting 
revolution,  the  most  precious  memorials  of  the  spirit  of  the 
times,  many  of  which  have  been  utterly  lost,  except  the 
single  copy  preserved  in  this  collection. 

Several  great  European  libraries  number  as  many 
I)amplilets  as  books  in  their  collections.  The  printed  cat- 
alogue of  the  British  Museum  Library  is  widely  sought  by 
liistorieal  students,  because  of  the  enormous  amount  of 
pamphlet  literature  it  contains,  that  is  described  nowhere 
else.  And  the  Librarian  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum  said 
that  some  readers  found  the  great  interest  in  his  catalogue 
of  that  collection  lay  in  its  early  American  pamphlets. 

As  another  instance  of  the  value  to  the  historical  stores 
of  a  public  library  of  this  ephemeral  literature,  it  may  be 
noted  tliat  tlie  great  collection  of  printed  matter,  mostly 
of  a  fugitive  character,  relating  to  the  French  Eevolution- 
ary  period,  gathered  by  the  late  M.  de  La  Bedoyere, 
amounted  to  15,000  volumes  and  pamphlets.  Fifty  years 
of  the  life  of  the  wealthy  and  enthusiastic  collector,  be- 
sides a  very  large  sum  of  money,  were  spent  in  amassing 
this  collection.  With  an  avidity  almost  incredible,  he  ran- 
sacked every  liook-store,  quay,  and  private  shelf  that  might 
contribute  a  fresh  morsel  to  his  stores;  and  when  Paris 
was  exhausted,  had  his  agents  and  purveyors  busy  in  ex- 
ecuting his  orders  all  over  Europe.  Hival  collectors,  and 
particularly  M.  Deschiens,  who  had  })ecn  a  contemporary 
in  the  IJovolution,  and  had  laid  aside  everything  that  ap- 
peared in  his  day,  only  contributed  at  their  decease,  to 
swell  the  precious  stores  of  M.  dc  La  Bedoyere.  Tliis  vast 
collection,  so  precious  for  the  history  of  France  at  its  most 


150  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

momorable  period,  contained  several  thousands  of  volumes 
of  newspapers  and  ephemeral  journals,  and  was  acquired 
in  tlie  year  18(13,  for  the  National  Lihrar)'  of  France, 
where  it  will  ever  remain  a  monument  to  the  enlightened 
and  far-sighted  spirit  of  its  projector. 

In  like  manner,  the  late  Peter  Force,  ]\Iayor  of  Washing- 
ton City,  and  historiographer  of  the  "American  Archives," 
devoted  forty  years  to  amassing  an  extensive  collection  of 
Americana,  or  books,  pamplilets,  newspapers,  manuscripts, 
and  maps,  relating  to  the  discovery,  history,  topography, 
natural  history,  and  biography  of  America.  He  carried 
off  at  auction  sales,  from  all  competitors,  six  great  collec- 
tions of  early  American  pamphlets,  formed  by  Ebenezer 
Hazard,  "William  Duane,  Oliver  Wolcott,  etc.,  representing 
the  copious  literature  of  all  schools  of  political  opinion. 
He  sedulously  laid  aside  and  preserved  every  pamphlet  that 
appeared  at  the  capital  or  elsewhere,  on  which  he  could  lay 
hands,  and  his  rich  historical  collection,  purchased  by  the 
government  in  1866,  thirty-three  years  ago,  now  forms  an 
invaluable  portion  of  the  Congressional  Library. 

Of  the  multitudinous  literature  of  pamphlets  it  is  not 
necessary  to  speak  at  length.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  li- 
brary which  neglects  the  acquisition  and  proper  preserva- 
tion and  binding  of  these  publications  is  far  behind  its 
duty,  both  to  those  of  its  own  generation,  and  to  those 
which  are  to  follow.  The  pamphlet  literature  of  every 
period  often  furnishes  the  most  precious  material  to  illus- 
trate the  history  and  development  of  that  period.  The 
new  ideas,  the  critical  sagacity,  the  political  controversies, 
the  mechanical  and  industrial  development,  the  religious 
thought,  and  the  social  character  of  many  epochs,  find 
their  best  expression  in  the  pamphlets  that  swarmed  from 
the  press  while  those  agencies  were  operating.     The  fact 


PAMPHLET    LITERATURE.  151 

that  multitudes  of  these  productions  are  anon}Tnous,  does 
not  detract  from  their  value  as  materials  for  students. 

Pamphlets,  from  their  peculiar  style  of  publication,  and 
the  difficulty  of  preserving  them,  tend  to  disappear  more 
quickly  than  any  class  of  publications  except  newspapers, 
and  broad-sides,  and  hand-bills.  They  are  far  less  likely 
to  be  preserved  in  the  hands  of  private  holders  than  even 
reviews  and  magazines.  It  is  the  common  experience  of 
librarians  that  a  pamphlet  is  far  more  difficult  to  procure 
than  a  book.  Multitudes  of  pamphlets  are  annually  lost 
to  the  world,  from  the  want  of  any  preserving  hand  to 
gather  them  and  deposit  them  permanently  in  some  li- 
brary. So  much  the  more  important  is  it  that  the  cus- 
todians of  all  our  public  libraries  should  form  as  complete 
collections  as  possible  of  all  pamphlets,  at  least,  that  ap- 
pear in  their  own  city  or  neighborhood.  How  to  do  this 
is  a  problem  not  unattended  with  difficulty.  Pamplilcts 
are  rarely  furnished  for  sale  in  the  same  manner  as  books, 
and  when  they  are,  book-sellers  treat  them  with  such  in- 
dignity that  they  are  commonly  tlirust  aside  as  waste 
paper,  almost  as  soon  as  they  have  appeared  from  the  press. 
If  all  the  writers  of  pamphlets  would  take  pains  to  present 
them  to  the  public  libraries  of  the  country,  and  especially 
to  those  in  their  own  neighborhood,  they  would  at  once 
enrich  these  collections,  and  provide  for  the  perpetuity  of 
their  own  thought.  A  vigilant  librarian  should  invite  and 
collect  from  private  lil)raries  all  the  pamphlets  which  their 
owners  will  part  with.  It  would  also  be  a  wise  practice  to 
engage  the  printing-offices  where  these  fugitive  leaves  of 
literature  are  put  in  type,  to  lay  aside  one  copy  of  each  for 
the  library  making  the  collection. 

Our  local  libraries  should  each  and  all  make  it  a  settled 
object  to  preserve  not  only  full  sets  of  the  reports  of  all 
societies,    corporations,    charity    organizations,    churches, 


152  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

railroads,  etc.,  in  tlieir  own  neighborhood,  but  all  cata- 
logues of  educational  institutions,  all  sermons  or  memorial 
addresses,  and  in  short,  every  fugitive  publication  which 
helps  to  a  knowledge  of  the  people  or  the  region  in  which 
the  libran'  is  situated. 

The  binding  of  pamphlets  is  a  mooted  point  in  all  libra- 
ries. While  the  British  Museum  and  the  Library  of  Con- 
gress treat  the  pamphlet  as  a  book,  binding  all  separately, 
this  is  deemed  in  some  quarters  too  vexatious  and  trouble- 
some, as  well  as  needlessly  expensive.  It  must  be  consid- 
ered, however,  that  the  crowding  together  of  a  heteroge- 
nous mass  of  a  dozen  or  twenty  pamphlets,  by  different 
authors,  and  on  various  subjects,  into  a  single  cover,  is  just 
as  objectionable  as  binding  books  on  unrelated  subjects  to- 
gether. Much  time  is  consumed  in  finding  the  pamphlet 
wanted,  among  the  dozen  or  more  that  precede  or  follow 
it,  and,  if  valuable  or  much  sought-for  pamphlets  are  thus 
bound,  many  readers  may  be  kept  waiting  for  some  of 
them,  while  one  reader  engrosses  the  volume  containing 
all.  Besides,  if  separately  bound,  a  single  pamphlet  can  be 
far  more  easily  replaced  in  case  of  loss  than  can  a  whole 
volume  of  them.  Pamphlets  may  be  lightly  bound  in 
paste-board,  stitched,  wdth  cloth  backs,  at  a  small  cost ;  and 
the  compensating  advantage  of  being  able  to  classify  them 
like  books  upon  the  shelves,  should  weigh  material^  in  the 
decision  of  the  question.  If  many  are  bound  together, 
they  should  invariably  be  assorted  into  classes,  and  those 
only  on  the  same  general  topic  should  be  embraced  in  the 
same  cover.  The  long  series  of  annual  reports  of  societies 
and  institutions,  corporations,  annual  catalogues,  etc., 
need  not  be  bound  separately,  but  should  be  bound  in 
chronological  series,  with  five  to  ten  years  in  a  volume, 
according  to  thickness.  So  may  several  pamphlets,  by  the 
same  writer,  if  preferred,  be  bound  together.     Libraries 


PAMPHLET   LITERATUKE.  153 

which  acquire  many  bound  volumes  of  pamphlets  should 
divide  them  into  series,  and  number  them  throughout 
with  strict  reference  to  the  catalogue.  There  will  thus 
be  accumulated  a  constantly  increasing  series  of  theologi- 
cal, political,  agricultural,  medical,  educational,  scientific, 
and  other  pamphlets,  while  the  remaining  mass,  which  can- 
not be  thus  classified,  may  be  designated  in  a  consecutive 
series  of  volumes,  as  "Miscellaneous  Pamphlets."  When 
catalogued,  the  title-page  or  beginning  of  each  pamphlet  in 
the  volume,  should  be  marked  by  a  thin  slip  of  unsized 
paper,  projected  above  the  top  of  the  book,  to  faciliate 
quick  reference  in  finding  each  one  without  turning  many 
leaves  to  get  at  the  titles.  In  all  cases,  the  contents  of  each 
volume  of  pamphlets  should  be  briefed  in  numerical  order 
upon  the  fly-leaf  of  the  volume,  and  its  corresponding  num- 
ber, or  sequence  in  the  volumes  written  in  pencil  on  the 
title  page  of  each  pamphlet,  to  correspond  with  the  figures 
of  this  brief  list.  Then  the  catalogue  of  each  should  indi- 
cate its  exact  location,  thus :  "Wilkeson  (Samuel)  How  our 
Xational  Debt  may  become  a  National  Blessing,  21  pp. 
8vo.  Phila.,  1863  [Miscellaneous  pamphlets,  v.  347:3], 
meaning  that  this  is  the  third  pamphlet  bound  in  vol.  347. 
The  only  objection  to  separate  binding  of  each  pamph- 
let, is  the  increased  expense.  The  advantage  of  distinct 
treatment  may  or  may  not  outweigh  this,  according  to  the 
importance  of  the  pamphlet,  the  circumstances  of  the  li- 
brary, and  the  funds  at  its  command.  If  bound  sub- 
stantially in  good  half-leather,  with  leather  corners,  the 
cost  is  reckoned  at  1  s.  4  d.  each,  in  London.  TTere,  they 
cost  about  thirty  cents  with  cloth  sides,  which  may  be  re- 
duced by  the  use  of  marble  or  Manila  paper,  to  twenty 
cents  each.  Black  roan  is  perhaps  the  best  leather  for 
pamphlets,  as  it  brings  out  the  lettering  on  the  backs  more 
distinctly — always  a  cardinal  point  in  a  library. 


154  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS 

But  there  is  a  more  economical  method,  which  dispenses 
with  leather  entirely.  As  no  j^atent  is  claimed  for  the  in- 
vention, or  rather  the  modification  of  well-known  methods, 
it  may  be  briefly  described.  The  thinnest  tar-board  is 
used  for  the  sides,  which,  i.  e.,  the  boards,  are  cut  down  to 
nearly  the  size  of  the  pamphlet  to  be  bound.  The  latter  is 
prepared  for  the  boards  by  adding  two  or  more  waste  leaves 
to  the  front  and  back,  and  backing  it  with  a  strip  of  com- 
mon muslin,  which  is  firmly  pasted  the  full  length  of  the 
back,  and  overlaps  the  sides  to  the  width  of  an  inch  or 
more.  The  pamphlet  has  to  be  stitched  through,  or 
stabbed  and  fastened  with  wire,  in  the  manner  commonly 
practiced  with  thin  books;  after  which  it  is  ready  to  re- 
ceive the  boards.  These  are  glued  to  a  strip  of  book  mus- 
lin, which  constitutes  the  ultimate  back  of  the  book,  being 
turned  in  neatly  at  each  end,  so  as  to  form,  with  the 
boards,  a  skeleton  cover,  into  which  the  pamphlet  is  insert- 
ed, and  held  in  its  place  by  the  inner  strip  of  muslin  before 
described,  which  is  pasted  or  glued  to  the  inside  of  the 
boards.  The  boards  are  then  covered  with  marbled  paper, 
turned  in  at  each  edge,  and  the  waste  leaves  pasted 
smoothly  down  to  the  boards  on  the  inside.  The  only  re- 
maining process  is  the  lettering,  which  is  done  by  printing 
the  titles  in  bronze  upon  glazed  colored  paper,  which  is 
pasted  lengthwise  on  the  back.  A  small  font  of  type,  with 
a  hand-press,  will  suffice  for  this,  and  a  stabbing  machine, 
with  a  small  pair  of  binding  shears,  constitutes  the  only 
other  apparatus  required.  The  cost  of  binding  pamphlets 
in  this  style  varies  from  seven  to  twelve  cents  each,  accord- 
ing to  the  material  employed,  and  the  amount  of  labor 
paid  for.  The  advantages  of  the  method  are  too  obvious 
to  all  acquainted  with  books  to  require  exemplification. 

Two  still  cheaper  methods  of  binding  may  be  named. 
What  is  known  as  the  Harvard  binder,  employed  in  that 


PAMPHLET   LITERATURE.  155 

library  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  consists  simply  of  thin  board 
sides  with  muslin  back,  and  stubs  also  of  cloth  on  the  in- 
side. The  pamphlet  is  inserted  and  held  in  place  by  paste 
or  glue.     The  cost  of  each  binding  is  stated  at  six  cents. 

The  cheapest  style  of  separate  treatment  for  pamphlets 
yet  suggested  is  of  stiff  Manila  paper,  with  cloth  back,  cost- 
ing about  three  cents  each. 

I  think  that  the  rule  of  never  mixing  incongruous  sub- 
jects within  the  same  cover  should  be  adhered  to.  The  ex- 
pense, by  the  cheaper  method  of  binding  referred  to,  is  but 
slightly  greater  than  must  be  incurred  by  binding  several 
in  a  volume,  in  solid  half  morocco  style.  But,  whenever 
pamphlets  are  bound  together,  the  original  printed  paper 
covers  should  never  be  destroyed,  but  should  be  bound  in. 

Another  method  of  preserving  pamphlets  is  to  file  them 
away  in  selected  lots,  placed  inside  of  cloth  covers,  of  con- 
siderable thickness.  These  may  be  had  from  any  book- 
binder, being  the  rejected  covers  in  which  books  sent  for 
re-binding  were  originally  bound.  If  kept  in  this  way, 
each  volume,  or  case  of  pamphlets,  should  be  firmly  tied 
with  cord  (or  better  with  tape)  fastened  to  the  front  edge 
of  tlt€  cloth  cover.  Never  use  rubber  or  elastic  bands  for 
this,  or  any  other  purpose  where  time  and  security  of  fast- 
ening are  involved,  because  the  rubber  will  surely  rot  in 
a  few  weeks  or  months,  and  be  useless  as  a  means  of  hold- 
ing togetlicr  any  objects  whatever. 

Still  another  means  of  assorting  and  keeping  pamphlets 
is  to  use  Woodruff's  file-holders,  one  of  which  holds  from 
ton  to  thirty  pamphlets  according  to  their  tliickness. 
They  should  be  arranged  in  classes,  placing  in  eacli  file  case 
only  pamphlets  on  similar  subjects,  in  order  of  the  authors' 
names,  arranged  alphabetically.  Eacli  pam])hl('t  should  be 
plainly  num])ered  at  its  liead  ])y  colorcil  jjcncil,  willi  llie 
figure  of  its  place  in  the  volume,  and  the  number  of  the 


156  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

case,  containing  it,  which  bhuukl  also  be  volamed,  and  as- 
signed to  shelves  containing  books  on  related  subjects.  I 
need  not  add  that  all  these  numbers  should  correspond 
with  the  catalogue-title  of  each  pamphlet.  Then,  when 
any  one  pamplilot  is  wanted,  send  for  the  case  containing 
it,  find  it  and  withdraw  it  at  once  by  its  number,  place  it 
in  one  of  the  Koch  spring-back  binders,  and  give  it  to  the 
reader  precisely  like  any  book  that  is  served  at  the  library 
counter. 

A  more  economical  plan  still,  for  libraries  which  cannot 
afford  the  expense  of  the  "Woodruff  fde-holders,  is  to  cut 
out  cases  for  the  pamphlets,  of  suitable  size,  from  tough 
Manila  board,  which  need  not  cost  more  than  about  three 
cents  each  case. 

In  whatever  way  the  unbound  pamphlets  are  treated, 
you  should  always  mark  them  as  such  on  the  left-hand 
margin  of  each  catalogue-card,  by  the  designation  "ub." 
(unbound)  in  pencil.  If  you  decide  later,  to  bind  any  of 
them,  this  pencil-mark  should  be  erased  from  the  cards, 
on  the  return  of  the  pamphlets  from  the  bindery. 


CHAPTER  8. 

Periodical  Literatukk. 

The  librarian  who  desires  to  make  the  management  of 
his  library  in  the  highest  degree  successful,  must  give 
special  attention  to  the  important  field  of  periodical  litera- 
ture. More  and  more,  as  the  years  roll  on,  the  periodical 
becomes  the  successful  rival  of  the  book  in  the  claim  for 
public  attention.  Indeed,  we  hear  now  and  then,  denunci- 
ations of  the  ever-swelling  flood  of  magazines  and  news- 
papers, as  tending  to  drive  out  the  book.  Readers,  we  are 
told,  are  seduced  from  solid  and  improving  reading,  by  the 
mass  of  daily,  weekly,  and  monthly  periodicals  which  lie  in 
wait  for  them  on  every  hand.  But  no  indiscriminate  cen- 
sure of  periodicals  or  of  their  reading,  can  blind  us  to  the 
fact  of  their  great  value.  Because  some  persons  devote  an 
inordinate  amount  of  time  to  them,  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  fail  to  use  them  judiciously  ourselves,  or  to  aid 
others  in  doing  so.  And  because  many  periodicals  (and 
even  the  vast  majority)  are  of  little  importance,  and  are 
filled  with  trifling  and  ephemeral  matter,  that  fact  does 
not  discredit  the  meritorious  ones.  Counterfeit  currency 
does  not  diminish  the  value  of  the  true  coin;  it  is  very  sure 
to  find  its  own  just  level  at  last;  and  so  the  wretched  or 
the  sensational  periodical,  however  pretentious,  will  fall 
into  inevitable  neglect  and  failure  in  the  long  run. 

It  is  true  that  the  figures  as  to  the  relative  issues  of 
books  and  periodicals  in  the  publishing  world  are  startling 
enough  to  give  us  pause.  It  has  been  computed  that  of 
the  annual  product  of  the  American  press,  eighty-two  per 
cent  consists  of  newspapers,  ten  per  cent  of  magazines  and 

(157) 


158  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    HEADERS. 

reviews,  and  only  eight  per  cent  of  books.  Yet  this  vast 
redundancy  ol  periodical  literature  is  by  no  means  such 
a  menace  to  our  permanent  literature  as  it  appears  at 
first  sight; — and  that  for  three  reasons:  (1)  a  large  share 
of  the  books  actually  published,  appear  in  the  first  in- 
stance in  the  periodicals  in  serial  or  casual  form;  (2)  the 
periodicals  contain  very  much  matter  of  permanent  value; 
(3)  the  steady  increase  of  carefully  prepared  books  in  the 
publishing  world,  while  it  may  not  keep  pace  with  the 
rapid  increase  of  periodicals,  evinces  a  growth  in  the  right 
direction.  It  is  no  longer  so  easy  to  get  a  crude  or  a  poor 
book  published,  as  it  w'as  a  generation  ago.  The  standard 
of  critical  taste  has  risen,  and  far  more  readers  are  judges 
of  what  constitutes  a  really  good  book  than  ever  before. 
AVhile  it  is  true  that  our  periodical  product  has- so  grown, 
that  whereas  there  were  twenty  years  ago,  in  1878,  only 
7,958  different  newspapers  and  magazines  published  in  the 
United  States,  there  are  now,  in  1899,  over  20,500  issued, 
it  can  also  be  stated  that  the  annual  product  of  books  has 
increased  in  the  same  twenty  years  from  less  than  two 
thousand  to  more  than  five  thousand  volumes  of  new  issues 
in  a  year.  Whatever  may  be  the  future  of  our  American 
literature,  it  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  the  tendency  is 
steadily  toward  the  production  of  more  books,  and  better 
ones. 

Whether  a  public  library  be  large  or  small,  its  value  to 
students  will  depend  greatly  upon  the  care  and  complete- 
ness wdth  which  its  selection  of  periodical  works  is  made, 
and  kept  up  from  year  to  year.  Nothing  is  more  common 
in  all  libraries,  public  and  private,  than  imperfect  and  par- 
tially bound  sets  of  serials,  whether  newspapers,  reviews, 
magazines  or  the  proceedings  and  reports  of  scientific  and 
other  societies.  Nothing  can  be  more  annoying  than  to 
find  the  sets  of  such  publications  broken  at  the  very  point 


PERIODICAL   LITEEATUEE.  *  159 

where  the  reference  or  the  wants  of  those  consulting  them 
require  satisfaction.  In  these  matters,  perpetual  vigilance 
is  the  price  of  completeness;  and  the  librarian  who  is  not 
willing  or  able  to  devote  the  time  and  means  requisite  to 
complete  the  files  of  periodical  publications  under  his 
charge  is  to  be  censured  or  commiserated,  according  to  the 
causes  of  the  failure.  The  first  essential  in  keeping  up  the 
completeness  of  files  of  ephemeral  publications,  next  to 
vigilance  on  the  part  of  their  custodian,  is  room  for  the 
arrangement  of  the  various  parts,  and  means  for  binding 
Avith  promptitude.  Some  libraries,  and  among  them  a 
few  of  the  largest,  are  so  hampered  for  want  of  room,  that 
their  serials  are  piled  in  heaps  without  order  or  arrange- 
ment, and  are  thus  comparatively  useless  until  bound.  In 
the  more  fortunate  institutions,  which  possess  adequate 
space  for  the  orderly  arrangement  of  all  their  stores,  there 
can  be  no  excuse  for  failing  to  supply  any  periodical, 
whether  bound  or  unbound,  at  tlie  moment  it  is  called  for. 
It  is  simply  necessary  to  devote  sufficient  time  each  day  to 
the  systematic  arrangement  of  all  receipts:  to  keep  each 
file  together  in  chronological  order;  to  supply  them  for  the 
perusal  of  readers,  with  a  proper  check  or  receipt,  and  to 
make  sure  of  binding  each  new  volume  as  fast  as  the  publi- 
cation of  titles  and  index  enables  it  to  be  done  properly. 
While  some  libraries  receive  several  thousands  of  serials, 
tlie  periodical  publications  taken  by  others  amount  to  a 
very  small  number;  but  in  either  case,  the  importance  of 
prompt  collation  and  immediate  supply  of  missing  parts 
or  numbers  is  equally  imperative.  While  deficiencies  in 
daily  newspapers  can  rarely  be  made  up  after  the  week,  and 
sometimes  not  after  the  day  of  their  appearance,  the  miss- 
ing parts  of  official  and  other  publications,  as  well  as  of 
reviews  and  magazines  appearing  at  less  frequent  intervals, 
can  usually  be  supplied  within  the  year,  although  a  more 


ItiO  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS, 

prompt  securing  of  them  is  often  necessary.  In  these 
publications,  as  in  the  acquisition  of  books  for  any  library, 
the  collation  of  each  part  or  number  is  imperative,  in  order 
to  avoid  imperfections  which  may  be  irreparable. 

First  in  the  ranks  of  these  ephemeral  publications,  in 
order  of  number,  if  not  of  importance,  come  the  journals 
of  all  classes,  daily  and  weekly,  political,  illustrated,  liter- 
ary, scientific,  mechanical,  professional,  agricultural,  finan- 
cial, etc.  From  the  obscure  and  fugitive  beginnings  of 
journalism  in  the  sixteenth  century  to  the  establishment 
of  the  first  continuous  newspaper — the  London  Weekly 
Xews,  in  1G22,  and  Eenaudot's  Gazette  (afterwards  the 
Gazette  de  France)  in  1631,  followed  by  the  issue  of  the  first 
daily  newspaper,  the  London  Daily  Courant,  in  1703,  and 
the  Boston  AVeekly  Xews-letter  in  1704,  (the  first  Ameri- 
can journal) — to  the  wonderful  fecundity  of  the  modern 
periodical  press,  which  scatters  the  leaves  of  more  than 
thirty  thousand  difi'erent  journals  broadcast  over  the 
world,  there  is  a  long  and  interesting  history  of  the  trials 
and  triumphs  of  a  free  press.  In  whatever  respect  Ameri- 
can libraries  may  fall  behind  those  of  older  lands  (and  their 
deficiencies  are  vast,  and,  in  many  directions  permanent) 
it  may  be  said  with  confidence,  that  in  the  United  States 
the  newspaper  has  received  its  widest  and  most  complete 
development.  Xumerically,  the  fullest  approximate  re- 
turn of  the  newspaper  and  periodical  press  gives  a  total 
number  of  21,500  periodical  publications,  regularly  appear- 
ing within  the  limits  of  the  United  States. 

TMiile  no  one  library,  however  large  and  comprehensive, 
has  either  the  space  or  the  means  to  accumulate  a  tithe  of 
the  periodicals  that  swarm  from  a  productive  press,  there 
are  valid  reasons  why  more  attention  should  be  paid  by  the 
librarian  to  a  careful  preservation  of  a  wise  selection  of  the 
best  of  all  this  current  literature.     The  modern  newspaper 


PERIODICAL   LITERATURE.  161 

and  other  periodical  publications  afford  the  fullest  and 
truest,  and  on  the  whole,  the  most  impartial  image  of  the 
age  we  live  in,  that  can  be  derived  from  a  single  source. 
Taken  together,  they  afford  the  richest  material  for  the 
historian,  or  the  student  of  politics,  of  society,  of  litera- 
ture, and  of  civilization  in  all  its  varied  aspects.  What 
precious  memorials  of  the  day,  even  the  advertisements 
and  brief  paragraphs  of  the  newspapers  of  a  century  ago 
afford  us !  While  in  a  field  so  vast,  it  is  impossible  for  any 
one  library  to  be  more  than  a  gleaner,  no  such  institution 
can  afford  to  neglect  the  collection  and  preservation  of  at 
least  some  of  the  more  important  newspapers  from  year  to 
year.  A  public  library  is  not  for  one  generation  only,  but 
it  is  for  all  time.  Opportunities  once  neglected  of  secur- 
ing the  current  periodicals  of  any  age  in  continuous  and 
complete  form  seldom  or  never  recur.  The  principle  of 
selection  will  of  course  vary  in  different  libraries  and  local- 
ities. While  the  safest  general  rule  is  to  secure  the  best 
and  most  representative  of  all  the  journals,  reviews,  and 
magazines  within  the  limit  of  the  funds  which  can  be  de- 
voted to  that  purpose,  there  is  another  principle  which 
should  largely  guide  the  selection.  In  each  locality,  it 
should  be  one  leading  object  of  the  principal  lil)rary  to 
gather  within  its  walls  the  fullest  representation  possible, 
of  the  literature  relating  to  its  own  State  and  neighbor- 
hood. Tn  every  city  and  large  town,  the  local  journals  and 
other  periodicals  should  form  an  indispensable  part  of  a 
j)uljlic  library  collection.  Where  the  means  are  wanting 
to  pnrchase  these,  the  proprietors  will  frequently  furnisli 
them  free  of  expense,  for  public  use;  but  no  occasion 
should  be  lost  of  securing,  immediately  on  its  issue  from 
the  press,  every  publication,  large  or  small,  which  relates 
to  the  local  history  or  interests  of  the  place  where  the 
lihrarv  is  maintained. 


It32  A    BOOK    FOU    ALL    HHADEKS. 

While  the  files  of  the  journals  of  any  period  furnish  un- 
questionahly  the  best  instruments  for  the  history  of  tliat 
opoch,  it  is  lamentable  to  reflect  that  so  little  care  has  ever 
been  taken  to  preserve  a  fair  representation  of  those  of  any 
age.  The  destiny  of  nearly  all  newspapers  is  swift  destruc- 
tion; and  even  those  which  are  preserved,  commonly  sur- 
vive in  a  lamentably  fragmentary  state.  The  obvious 
causes  of  the  rapid  disappearance  of  periodical  literature, 
are  its  great  volume,  necessarily  increasing  with  every  year, 
the  difficulty  of  lodging  the  files  of  any  long  period  in  our 
n-arrow  apartments,  and  the  continual  demand  for  paper 
for  the  uses  of  trade.  To  these  must  be  added  the  great 
cost  of  binding  files  of  journals,  increasing  in  the  direct 
ratio  of  the  size  of  the  volume.  As  so  formidable  an  ex- 
pense can  be  incurred  by  very  few  private  subscribers  to 
periodicals,  so  much  the  more  important  is  it  that  the  pub- 
lic libraries  should  not  neglect  a  duty  which  they  owe  to 
their  generation,  as  well  as  to  those  that  are  to  follow. 
These  poor  journals  of  to-day,  which  everybody  is  willing 
to  stigmatize  as  trash,  not  worth  the  room  to  store  or  the 
money  to  bind,  are  the  very  materials  which  the  man  of  the 
future  will  search  for  with  eagerness,  and  'for  some  of 
which  he  will  be  ready  to  pay  their  weight  in  gold.  These 
representatives  of  the  commercial,  industrial,  inventive, 
social,  literary,  political,  moral  and  religious  life  of  the 
times,  should  be  preserved  and  handed  down  to  posterity 
with  sedulous  care.  No  historian  or  other  writer  on  any 
subject  who  would  write  conscientiously  or  with  full  infor- 
mation, can  afford  to  neglect  this  fruitful  mine  of  the  jour- 
nals, where  his  richest  materials  are  frequently  to  be 
found. 

In  the  absence  of  any  great  library  of  journals,  or  of  that 
universal  library  which  every  nation  should  possess,  it  be- 
comes the  more  important  to  assemble  in  the  various  local 


PERIODICAL    LITERATURE.  163 

libraries  all  those  ephemeral  publications,  which,  if  not 
thus  preserved  contemporaneously  with  their  issue,  will 
disappear  utterl}^  and  elude  the  search  of  future  historical 
inquirers.  And  that  library  which  shall  most  sedulously 
gather  and  preserve  such  fugitive  memorials  of  the  life  of 
the  people  among  which  it  is  situated  will  be  found  to  have 
best  subserved  its  purpose  to  the  succeeding  generations  of 
men. 

Not  less  important  than  the  preservation  of  newspapers 
is  that  of  reviews  and  magazines.  In  fact,  the  latter  are 
almost  universally  recognized  as  far  more  important  than 
the  more  fugitive  literature  of  the  daily  and  weekly  press. 
Though  inferior  to  the  journals  as  historical  and  statistical 
materials,  reviews  and  magazines  supply  the  largest  fund 
of  discussion  concerning  such  topics  of  scientific,  social, 
literary,  and  religious  interest  as  occupy  the  public  mind 
during  the  time  in  which  they  appear.  More  and  more 
the  best  thought  of  the  times  gets  reflected  in  the  pages 
of  this  portion  of  the  periodical  press.  No  investigator  in 
any  department  can  afi'ord  to  overlook  the  rich  stores  con- 
tributed to  thought  in  reviews  and  magazines.  These  ar- 
ticles are  commonly  more  condensed  and  full  of  matter 
than  the  average  books  of  the  period.  While  every  li- 
brary, therefore,  should  possess  for  the  current  use  and 
ultimate  reference  of  its  readers  a  selection  of  the  best, 
as  large  as  its  means  will  permit,  a  great  and  comprehen- 
sive library,  in  order  to  be  representative  of  the  national 
literature,  should  possess  them  all. 

The  salient  fact  that  the  periodical  press  absorbs,  year 
by  year,  more  of  the  talent  which  might  otherwise  be  ex- 
pendfd  upon  literature  of  more  permanent  form  is  abun- 
dantly obvious.  This  tendency  has  ])oth  its  good  and  its 
evil  results.     On  the  one  hand,  the  best  writing  ability  is 


Ili4  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

often  drawn  out  by  inagazines  and  journals,  which  are  keen 
competitors  for  attractive  matter,  and  for  known  repu- 
tations, and  sometimes  they  secure  both  in  combination. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  notable  fact  that  writers  capable 
of  excellent  work  often  do  great  injustice  to  their  reputa- 
tions by  producing  too  hastily  articles  written  to  order,  in- 
stead of  the  well-considered,  ripe  fruits  of  their  literary 
skill.  Whether  the  brief  article  answering  the  limits  of 
a  magazine  or  a  review  is  apt  to  be  more  or  less  superficial 
than  a  book  treating  the  same  topic,  is  a  question  admit- 
ting of  different  views.  If  the  writer  is  capable  of  skilful 
condensation,  without  loss  of  grace  of  composition,  or  of 
graphic  power,  then  the  article,  measured  by  its  influence 
upon  the  public  mind,  must  be  preferred  to  the  more  dif- 
fuse treatise  of  the  book.  It  has  the  immense  advantage 
of  demanding  far  less  of  the  reader's  time;  and  wiienever 
its  conclusions  are  stated  in  a  masterly  way,  its  impression 
should  be  quite  as  lasting  as  that  of  any  book  treating  a 
similar  theme.  Such  is  doubtless  the  effect  of  the  abler 
articles  written  for  periodicals,  which  are  more  condensed 
and  full  of  matter  in  speedily  available  form,  than  the 
average  book  of  the  period.  In  this  sense  it  is  a  misuse  of 
terms  to  call  the  review  article  ephemeral,  or  to  treat  the 
periodicals  containing  them  as  perishable  literary  commo- 
dities, which  serve  their  term  with  the  month  or  year  that 
produced  them.  On  the  contrary,  the  experience  of  libra- 
rians shows  that  the  most  sought-for,  and  the  most  useful 
contributions  to  any  subject  are  frequently  found,  not  in 
the  books  written  upon  it,  but  in  the  files  of  current  peri- 
odicals, or  in  those  of  former  years.  It  is  especially  to  be 
noted  that  the  book  may  frequently  lose  its  adaptation  and 
usefulness  by  lapse  of  time,  and  the  onward  march  of  sci- 
ence, while  the  article  is  apt  to  reflect  the  latest  light  which 
can  help  to  illustrate  the  subject. 


PERIODICAL    LITERATURE.  165 

While,  therefore,  there  is  always  a  liability  of  finding 
many  crude  and  sketchy  contributions  in  the  literature  of 
the  periodical  press,  its  conductors  are  ever  on  the  alert 
to  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  weak  or  unworthy  offerings, 
and  to  secure  a  maximum  of  articles  embodying  mature 
thought  and  fit  expression.  The  pronounced  tendency  to- 
ward short  methods  in  every  channel  of  human  activity,  is 
reflected  in  the  constantly  multiplying  series  of  periodical 
publications. 

The  publishing  activities  of  the  times  are  taking  on 
a  certain  cooperative  element,  which  was  not  formerly 
known.  Thus,  the  "literary  syndicate"  has  been  developed 
by  degrees  into  one  of  the  most  far-reaching  agencies  for 
popular  entertainment.  The  taste  for  short  stories,  in 
place  of  the  ancient  three  volume  novel,  has  been  culti- 
vated even  in  conservative  England,  and  has  become  so 
wide-spread  in  the  United  States,  that  very  few  periodicals 
which  deal  in  fiction  at  all,  are  without  their  stories  begun 
and  finished  in  a  single  issue.  The  talent  required  to  pro- 
duce a  fascinating  and  successful  fiction  in  this  narrow 
compass  is  a  peculiar  one,  and  while  there  are  numerous 
failures,  there  are  also  a  surprising  number  of  successes. 
Well  written  descriptive  articles,  too,  are  in  demand,  and 
special  cravings  for  personal  gossip  and  lively  sketches  of 
notable  living  characters  are  manifest.  That  perennial  in- 
terest which  mankind  and  womankind  evince  in  every  in- 
dividual whose  name,  for  whatever  reason,  has  become 
familiar,  supplies  a  basis  for  an  inexhaustible  series  of  light 
paragrapliic  articles.  Another  fruitful  field  for  the  syndi- 
cate composition  is  l)rief  essays  upon  any  topic  of  the  times, 
the  fashions,  notaljlo  events,  or  new  inventions,  pu])lic 
charities,  education,  governmental  doings,  current  politi- 
cal movements,  etc.  These  appear  almost  simultaneously, 
in   many   difTerent   periodicals,   scattered    throu.iihout    the 


U)G  A    BOOK    FOH    ALL    READERS. 

eoiimry,  under  tlio  copyright  iinprimatur,  whicli  warns  off 
all  journals  from  republishing,  which  have  not  subscribed 
to  the  special  "syndicate"  engaging  them.  Thus  each 
periodical  secures,  at  extremely  moderate  rates,  contribu- 
tions which  are  frequently  written  by  the  most  noted  and 
popular  living  writers,  who,  in  their  turn,  are  much  better 
remunerated  for  their  work  than  they  would  be  for  the 
same  amount  of  writing  if  published  in  book  form. 
"Whether  this  now  popular  method  of  attaining  a  wide  and 
remunerative  circulation  for  their  productions  will  prove 
permanent,  is  less  certain  than  that  many  authors  now  find 
it  the  surest  road  to  profitable  employment  of  their  pens. 
The  fact  that  it  rarely  serves  to  introduce  unknown  writers 
of  talent  to  the  reading  world,  may  be  laid  to  the  account 
of  the  eagerness  of  the  syndicates  to  secure  names  that  al- 
ready enjoy  notoriety. 

The  best  method  for  filing  newspapers  for  current  read- 
ing is  a  vexed  question  in  libraries.  In  the  large  ones, 
where  room  enough  exists,  large  reading-stands  with  slop- 
ing sides  furnish  the  most  convenient  access,  provided  with 
movable  metal  rods  to  keep  the  papers  in  place.  Where 
no  room  exists  for  these  stands,  some  of  the  numerous  por- 
table newspaper-file  inventions,  or  racks,  may  be  substi- 
tuted, allowing  one  to  each  paper  received  at  the  library. 

For  filing  current  magazines,  reviews,  and  the  smaller 
newspapers,  like  the  literary  and  technical  journals,  vari- 
ous plans  are  in  use.  All  of  these  have  advantages,  while 
none  is  free  from  objection.  Some  libraries  use  the  ordi- 
nary pamphlet  case,  in  which  the  successive  numbers  are 
kept  until  a  volume  is  accumulated  for  binding.  This  re- 
quires a  separate  case  for  each  periodical,  and  where  many 
are  taken,  is  expensive,  though  by  this  method  the  maga- 
zines are  kept  neat  and  in  order.  Others  use  small  news- 
paper files  or  tapes  for  periodicals.     Others  still  arrange 


PERIODICAL    LITERATURE.  167 

them  alphabetically  on  shelves,  in  which  case  the  latest  is- 
sues are  found  on  top,  if  the  chronology  is  preserved.  In 
serving  periodicals  to  readers,  tickets  should  be  required 
(as  for  books)  with  title  and  date,  as  a  precaution  against 
loss,  or  careless  leaving  upon  tables. 

Whether  current  periodicals  are  ever  allowed  to  be 
drawn  out,  must  depend  upon  several  weighty  considera- 
tions. When  only  one  copy  is  taken,  no  circulation  sliould 
be  permitted,  so  that  the  magazines  and  journals  may  be 
always  in,  at  the  service  of  readers  frequenting  the  library. 
But  in  some  large  public  libraries,  where  several  copies  of 
each  of  the  more  popular  serials  arc  subscribed  to,  it  is  the 
custom  to  keep  one  copy  (sometimes  two)  always  in,  and  to 
allow  the  duplicate  copies  to  be  drawn  out.  This  circula- 
tion should  be  limited  to  a  period  much  shorter  than  is  al- 
lowed for  keeping  books. 

In  no  case,  should  the  bound  volumes  of  magazines,  re- 
views, and  journals  of  whatever  kind  be  allowed  to  leave 
the  library.  This  is  a  rule  which  should  be  enforced  for 
the  common  benefit  of  all  the  readers,  since  to  lend  to  one 
reader  any  periodical  or  work  of  general  reference  is  to  de- 
prive all  the  rest  of  its  use  just  so  long  as  it  is  out  of  the 
library.  This  has  become  all  the  more  important  since  the 
publication  of  Poole's  Indexes  to  periodical  literature  has 
put  the  whole  reading  community  on  the  quest  for  infor- 
mation to  be  found  only  (in  condensed  form,  or  in  the 
latest  treatment)  in  the  volumes  of  the  periodical  press. 
And  it  is  really  no  hardship  to  any  quick,  intelligent 
reader,  to  ref|uirc  that  these  valuable  serials  should  be  used 
within  the  library  only.  An  article  is  not  like  a  book; — 
a  long  and  perhaps  serious  study,  requiring  many  hours  or 
days  to  master  it.  The  magazine  or  review  article,  what- 
ever other  virtues  it  may  lack,  has  the  supreme  merit  of 
brevity. 


168  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

The  only  valid  exception  which  will  Justify  loaning  the 
serial  volumes  of  periodicals  outside  the  library,  is  when 
there  are  duplicate  sets  of  any  of  them.  Some  large  libra- 
ries having  a  wide  popular  circulation  are  able  to  buy  two 
or  more  sets  of  the  magazines  most  in  demand,  and  so  to 
lend  one  out,  while  another  is  kept  constantly  in  for  use 
and  reference.  And  even  a  library  of  small  means  might 
secure  for  its  shelves  duplicate  sets  of  many  periodicals,  by 
simply  making  known  that  it  would  be  glad  to  receive  from 
any  families  or  other  owners,  all  the  numbers  of  their 
magazines,  etc.,  which  they  no  longer  need  for  use.  This 
would  bring  in,  in  any  large  town  or  city,  a  copious  supply 
of  periodicals  which  house-keepers,  tired  of  keeping,  stor- 
ing and  dusting  such  unsightly  property,  would  be  glad  to 
bestow  where  they  would  do  the  most  good. 

Whatever  periodicals  are  taken,  it  is  essential  to  watch 
over  their  completeness  by  keeping  a  faithfully  revised 
check-list.  This  should  be  ruled  to  furnish  blank  spaces 
for  each  issue  of  all  serials  taken,  whether  quarterly, 
monthly,  weekly,  or  daily,  and  no  week  should  elapse  with- 
out complete  scrutiny  of  the  list,  and  ordering  all  missing 
numbers  from  the  publishers.  Mail  failures  are  common, 
and  unceasing  vigilance  is  the  price  that  must  be  paid  for 
completeness.  The  same  check-list,  by  other  spaces, 
should  show  the  time  of  expiration  of  subscriptions,  and 
the  price  paid  per  year.  And  where  a  large  number  of 
periodicals  are  received,  covering  many  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, they  should  be  listed,  not  only  by  an  alphabet  of  titles, 
but  by  another  alphabet  of  places  where  published,  as  well. 

If  a  new  library  is  to  be  formed,  having  no  sets  of  period- 
icals on  which  to  build,  effort  should  be  made  to  secure  full 
sets  from  the  beginning  of  as  many  of  the  prominent  maga- 
zines and  reviews,  American  and  foreign,  as  the  funds  will 
permit.     It  is  expedient  to  wait  a  little,  rather  than  to  take 


PERIODICAL    LITERATUEE.  169 

up  T\-ith  incomplete  sets,  as  full  ones  are  prett}'  sure  to  turn 
up,  and  competition  between  the  many  dealers  should 
bring  down  prices  to  a  fair  medium.  In  fact,  many  old 
sets  of  magazines  are  offered  surprisingly  cheap,  and  us- 
ually well-bound.  But  vigilant  care  must  be  exercised 
to  secure  perfect  sets,  as  numbers  are  often  mutilated,  or 
deficient  in  some  pages  or  illustrations.  This  object  can 
only  be  secured  by  collation  of  every  volume,  page  by  page, 
with  due  attention  to  the  list  of  illustrations,  if  any  are 
published. 

In  the  absence  of  British  bibliographical  enterprise  (a 
want  much  to  be  deplored)  it  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  Ameri- 
can librarians  to  produce  the  only  general  index  of  sub- 
jects to  English  periodical  literature  which  exists.  Poole's 
Index  to  Periodical  Literature  is  called  by  the  name  of  its 
senior  editor,  the  late  Dr.  Win.  F.  ]*oole,  and  was  contri- 
buted to  by  many  librarians  on  a  cooperative  division  of 
labor,  in  indexing,  under  direction  of  ^Iv.  "\Vm.  I.  Fletcher, 
librarian  of  Amherst  College.  Tliis  index  to  leading  peri- 
odicals is  literally  invaluable,  and  indispensable  as  an  aid 
to  research.  Its  first  volume  indexes  in  one  alpha1)et  the 
periodicals  embraced,  from  their  first  issues  up  to  1883. 
The  second  volume  runs  from  1882  to  1887,  and  the  third 
covers  the  period  from  1887  to  1891,  while  a  fourth  vol- 
ume indexes  the  periodicals  from  1892  to  189r),  inclusive. 
For  1897,  and  eacii  year  after,  an  nnnnal  index  to  ili(>  ))nb- 
lications  of  the  year  is  issued. 

Besides  this,  the  Beview  of  Reviews  publishes  monthly  ;iii 
index  to  one  month's  leading  periodicals,  and  also  an  an- 
nual index,  very  full,  in  a  single  alphabet.  And  the 
"Cumulative  Index,"  issued  both  monthly  and  <ni;irlerly, 
by  W.  IT.  Brett,  the  Cleveland,  Ohio,  librarian,  is  an  ad- 
mirably full  means  of  keeping  our  keys  to  periodical  litera- 
ture up  to  date.     There  are  other  indexes  to  periodicals, 


170  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

published  monthly  or  quarterly,  too  numerous  to  be  no- 
ticed here.  The  annual  New  York  Tribune  Index  (the 
only  daily  Journal,  except  the  London  Times,  which  prints 
an  index)  is  liiglily  useful,  and  may  be  used  for  other  news- 
papers as  well,  for  the  most  important  events  or  discus- 
sions, enabling  one  to  search  the  dailies  for  himself,  the 
date  once  being  fixed  by  aid  of  the  index. 

Mention  should  also  be  made  here  of  the  admiral )ly  com- 
prehensive annual  "RowelVs  Newspaper  Directory,''  which 
should  rather  be  called  the  "American  Periodical  Direc- 
tory," since  it  has  a  classified  catalogue  of  all  periodicals 
published  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 


CHAPTER  9. 

The  xVrt  of  Reading. 

"The  true  University  of  these  days/'  says  a  great  scholar 
of  our  century,  Thomas  Carlyle,  "is  a  collection  of  books^, 
and  all  education  is  to  teach  us  how  to  read." 

If  there  were  any  volume,  out  of  the  multitude  of  books 
about  books  that  have  been  written,  which  could  illuminate 
tlie  pathway  of  the  unskilled  reader,  so  as  to  guide  him  into 
all  knowledge  by  the  shortest  road,  what  a  boon  that  book 
would  be! 

"When  we  survey  the  vast  and  rapidly  growing  product  of 
the  modern  press, — when  we  see  these  hosts  of  poets  with- 
out imagination,  historians  without  accuracy,  critics  with- 
out discernment,  and  novelists  without  invention  or  style, 
in  short,  the  whole  prolific  brood  of  writers  who  do  not 
know  how  to  write, — we  are  tempted  to  echo  the  sentiment 
of  Wordsworth: — 

"The  intellectual  power,  through  words  and  things, 
Goes  sounding  on  a  dim  and  perilous  way." 

The  most  that  any  one  can  hope  to  do  for  others  is  to 
suggest  to  them  a  clue  which,  however  feeble,  has  helped 
to  guide  his  uncertain  footsteps  through  the  labyrinthian 
maze  of  folly  and  wisdom  which  we  call  literature. 

The  knowledge  acquired  ])y  a  Librarian,  while  it  may  be 
very  wide  and  very  varied,  runs  much  risk  of  being  as 
superficial  as  it  is  diversified.  There  is  a  very  prevalent, 
but  very  erroneous  notion  which  conceives  of  a  librarian 
as  a  kind  of  animated  encyclopaedia,  who,  if  you  tap  liim 
in  any  direction,  from  A  to  Z.  will  straightway  pour  fortli  a 
flood  of  knowledge  upon  any  subject  in  history,  science,  or 

(171) 


172  A    BOOK    FOK    ALL    READERS. 

liieralure.  This  popular  ideal,  however  fine  iu  theory,  has 
to  undergo  what  commercial  men  call  a  heavy  discount 
when  reduced  to  practice.  The  librarian  is  a  constant 
and  busy  worker  in  far  other  fields  than  exploring  the  con- 
tents of  books.  His  day  is  filled  with  cataloguing,  arrang- 
ing and  classifying  them,  searching  catalogues,  selecting 
new  books,  correspondence,  directing  assistants,  keeping 
library  records,  adjusting  accounts,  etc.,  in  the  midst  of 
which  he  is  constantly  at  the  call  of  the  public  for  books 
and  information.  What  time  has  he,  wearied  by  the  day's 
multifarious  and  exacting  labors,  for  any  thorough  study 
of  books?  So,  when  anyone  begins  an  inquiry  with,  "You 
know  everything;  can  you  tell  me," — I  say:  "Stop  a  mo- 
ment; omniscience  is  not  a  human  quality;  I  really  know 
very  few  things,  and  am  not  quite  sure  of  some  of  them." 
There  are  many  men,  and  women,  too,  in  almost  every 
community,  whose  range  of  knowledge  is  more  extended 
than  that  of  most  librarians. 

The  idea,  then,  that  because  one  lives  perpetually  among 
books,  he  absorbs  all  the  learning  that  they  contain,  must 
be  abandoned  as  a  popular  delusion.  To  know  a  little 
upon  many  subjects  is  quite  compatible  with  not  knowing 
much  about  any  one.  "Beware  of  the  man  of  one  book," 
is  an  ancient  proverb,  pregnant  with  meaning.  The  man 
of  one  book,  if  it  is  wisely  chosen,  and  if  he  knows  it  all, 
can  sometimes  confound  a  whole  assembly  of  scholars.  An 
American  poet  once  declared  to  me  that  all  leisure  time  is 
lost  that  is  not  spent  in  reading  Shakespeare.  And  we  re- 
member Emerson's  panegyric  upon  Plato's  waitings,  bor- 
rowing from  the  Caliph  Omar  his  famous  (but  apocryphal) 
sentence  against  all  books  but  the  Koran:  "Burn  all  the 
libraries,  for  their  value  is  in  this  book."  So  Sheffield, 
duke  of  Buckingham: 


THE    ART   OF    READING.  17?, 

"Read  Homer  once,  and  you  can  read  no  more, 
For  all  books  else  appear  so  tame,  so  poor, 
Verse  will  seem  prose,  but  still  persist  to  read, 
And  Homer  will  be  all  the  books  you  need." 

Of  course  I  am  far  from  designing  to  say  anything 
against  the  widest  study,  which  great  libraries  exist  to 
supply  and  to  encourage;  and  all  utterances  of  a  half- 
truth,  like  the  maxim  I  have  quoted,  are  exaggerations. 
But  the  saying  points  a  moral — and  that  is,  the  supreme 
importance  of  thoroughness  in  all  that  we  undertake.  The 
poetical  wiseacre  who  endowed  the  world  with  the  maxim, 
"A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing,"  does  not  appear 
to  have  reflected  upon  the  logical  sequence  of  the  dictum, 
namely:  that  if  a  little  learning  upon  any  subject  is  dan- 
gerous, then  less  must  be  still  more  dangerous. 

The  art  of  reading  to  the  best  advantage  implies  the 
command  of  adequate  time  to  read.  The  art  of  having 
time  to  read  depends  upon  knowing  how  to  make  the  best 
use  of  our  days.  Days  are  short,  and  time  is  fleeting,  but 
no  one's  day  ever  holds  less  than  24  hours.  Engrossing 
as  one's  occupation  may  be,  it  need  never  consume  all 
the  time  remaining  from  sleep,  refreshment  and  social  in- 
tercourse. The  half  hour  before  breakfast,  the  fifteen 
minutes  waiting  for  dinner,  given  to  the  book  you  wish  to 
read,  will  soon  finish  it,  and  make  room  for  another.  The 
busiest  men  I  have  known  have  often  been  the  most  in- 
telligent, and  the  widest  readers.  The  idle  person  never 
knows  how  to  make  use  of  odd  moments;  the  busy  one 
always  knows  how.  Yet  the  vast  majority  of  people  go 
through  life  without  ever  learning  the  great  lesson  of  the 
supreme  value  of  moments. 

Let  us  suppose  that  you  determine  to  devote  two  hours 
every  day  to  reading.  That  is  equivalent  to  more  than 
seven  hundred  hours  a  year,  or  to  three  months  of  work- 


1T4  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

ing  time  of  eight  hours  a  day.  What  coukl  you  not  do  in 
three  months,  if  you  had  all  the  time  to  yourself?  You 
could  almost  learn  a  new  language,  or  master  a  new  sci- 
ence; yet  this  two  hours  a  day,  which  would  give  you  three 
months  of  free  time  every  year,  is  frittered  away,  you 
scarcely  know  how,  in  aimless  matters  that  lead  to  nothing. 

A  famous  writer  of  our  century,  some  of  whose  books 
you  have  read, — Edward  Bulwer  Lytton, — devoted  only 
four  hours  a  day  to  writing;  yet  he  produced  more  than 
sixty  volumes  of  fiction,  poetry,  drama  and  criticism,  of 
singular  literary  merit.  The  great  naturalist,  Darwin,  a 
chronic  sufferer  from  a  depressing  malady,  counted  two 
hours  a  fortunate  day's  work  for  him;  yet  he  accomplished 
results  in  the  world  of  science  which  render  his  name  im- 
mortal. 

Be  not  over  particular  as  to  hours,  or  the  time  of  day, 
and  you  will  soon  find  that  all  hours  are  good  for  the  muse. 
Have  a  purpose,  and  adhere  to  it  with  good-humored  per- 
tinacity. Be  independent  of  the  advice  and  opinions  of 
others;  the  world  of  books,  like  the  world  of  nature,  was 
made  for  you;  possess  it  in  your  own  way.  If  you  find  no 
good  in  ancient  history  or  in  metaphysics,  let  them  alone 
and  read  books  of  art,  or  poetry,  or  biography,  or  voyages 
and  travels.  The  wide  domain  of  knowledge  and  the 
world  of  books  are  so  related,  that  all  roads  cross  and  con- 
verge, like  the  paths  that  carry  us  over  the  surface  of  the 
globe  on  which  we  live.  Many  a  reader  has  learned  more 
of  past  times  from  good  biographies,  than  from  any  formal 
history;  and  it  is  a  fact  that  many  owe  to  the  plays  of 
Shakespeare  and  the  novels  of  "Walter  Scott  nearly  all  the 
knowledge  which  they  possess  of  the  history  of  England 
and  Scotland. 

It  is  unhappily  true  that  books  do  not  teach  the  use  of 
books.     The  art  of  extracting  what  is  important  or  in- 


THE    ART   OF    EEADINO.  175 

stnictive  in  any  book,  from  the  mass  of  verbiage  that  com- 
monly overlays  it,  cannot  be  learned  by  theory.  Invalu- 
able as  the  art  of  reading  is,  as  a  means  of  enlightenment, 
its  highest  uses  can  only  be  obtained  by  a  certain  method 
of  reading,  which  will  separate  the  wheat  from  the  chaff. 
Different  readers  will,  of  course,  possess  different  capacities 
for  doing  this.  Young  or  undisciplined  minds  can  read 
only  in  one  way, — and  that  way  is,  to  mentally  pronounce 
every  word,  and  dwell  equally  upon  all  the  parts  of  every 
sentence.  This  comes  naturally  in  the  first  instance,  from 
the  mere  method  of  learning  to  read,  in  which  every  word 
is  a  spoken  symbol,  and  has  to  be  sounded,  whether  it  is  es- 
sential to  the  sense,  or  not.  This  habit  of  reading,  which 
may  be  termed  the  literal  method,  goes  with  most  persons 
through  life.  Once  learned,  it  is  very  hard  to  unlearn. 
There  are  multitudes  who  cannot  read  a  newspaper,  even, 
without  dwelling  upon  every  word,  and  coming  to  a  full 
stop  at  the  end  of  every  sentence.  Now  this  method  of 
reading,  while  it  may  be  indispensable  to  all  readers  at 
some  time,  and  to  some  readers  at  all  times,  is  too  slow  and 
fruitless  for  the  student  who  aims  to  absorb  the  largest 
amount  of  knowledge  in  the  briefest  space  of  time.  Life 
is  too  short  to  be  wasted  over  the  rhetoric  or  the  periods 
of  an  author  whose  knowledge  we  want  as  all  that  con- 
cerns us. 

Doubtless  there  are  classes  of  literature  in  which  form 
or  expression  predominates,  and  we  cannot  read  poetry, 
for  example,  or  the  drama,  or  even  the  higher  class  of  fic- 
tion, without  lingering  upon  the  finer  passages,  to  get  the 
full  impression  of  their  beauty.  In  reading  works  of  the 
imagination,  we  read  not  for  ideas  alone,  but  for  expres- 
sion also,  and  to  enjoy  the  rhythm  and  melody  of  the  verse, 
if  it  be  poetry,  or,  if  prose,  the  finished  rhetoric,  and  the 
pleasing  cadence  of  the  style.     It  is  here  that  the  literary 


176  A    BOOK    FOK    ALL    READERS. 

skill  of  an  accomplished  writer,  and  all  that  we  understand 
by  rhetoric,  becomes  important,  while  in  reading  for  in- 
formation only,  we  may  either  ignore  words  and  phrases 
entirely,  or  subordinate  them  to  the  ideas  which  they  con- 
vey. In  reading  any  book  for  the  knowledge  it  contains, 
1  should  as  soon  think  of  spelling  out  all  the  words,  as  of 
reading  out  all  the  sentences.  Just  as,  in  listening  to  a 
slow  speaker,  you  divine  the  whole  meaning  of  what  he  is 
about  to  say,  before  he  has  got  half  through  his  sentence, 
so,  in  reading,  you  can  gather  the  full  sense  of  the  ideas 
which  any  sentence  contains,  without  stopping  to  accentu- 
ate the  words. 

Leaving  aside  the  purely  literary  works,  in  which  form 
or  style  is  a  predominant  element,  let  us  come  to  books  of 
science,  history,  biography,  voyages,  travels,  etc.  In  these, 
the  primal  aim  is  to  convey  information,  and  thus  the  style 
of  expression  is  little  or  nothing — the  thought  or  the  fact 
is  all.  Yet  most  writers  envelop  the  thought  or  the  fact 
in  so  much  verbiage,  complicate  it  with  so  many  episodes, 
beat  it  out  thin,  by  so  much  iteration  and  reiteration,  that 
the  student  must  needs  learn  the  art  of  skipping,  in  self- 
defense.  To  one  in  zealous  pursuit  of  knowledge,  to  read 
most  books  through  is  paying  them  too  extravagant  a  com- 
pliment. He  has  to  read  between  the  lines,  as  it  were,  to 
note  down  a  fact  here,  or  a  thought  there,  or  an  illustra- 
tion elsewhere,  and  leaves  alone  all  that  contributes  noth- 
ing to  his  special  purpose.  As  the  quick,  practiced  eye 
glances  over  the  visible  signs  of  thought,  page  after  page 
is  rapidly  absorbed,  and  a  book  which  would  occupy  an 
ordinary  reader  many  days  in  reading,  is  mastered  in  a  few 
hours. 

The  habit  of  reading  which  I  have  outlined,  and  which 
may  be  termed  the  intuitive  method,  or,  if  you  prefer  it, 
the  short-hand  method,  will  more  than  double  the  working 


THE    ART    OF    READING.  177 

power  of  the  reader.  It  is  not  difficult  to  practice,  especi- 
ally to  a  busy  man,  who  does  with  all  his  might  what  he 
has  got  to  do.  But  it  should  be  learned  early  in  life,  when 
the  faculties  are  fresh,  the  mind  full  of  zeal  for  knowl- 
edge, and  the  mental  habits  are  ductile,  not  fixed.  With 
it  one's  capacity  for  acquiring  knowledge,  and  conse- 
quently his  accomplishment,  whether  as  writer,  teacher, 
librarian,  or  private  student,  will  be  immeasureably  in- 
creased. 

Doubtless  it  is  true  that  some  native  or  intuitive  gifts 
must  be  conjoined  with  much  mental  discipline  and  perse- 
verance, in  order  to  reach  the  highest  result,  in  this 
method  of  reading,  as  in  any  other  study.  "Non  omnia 
possumus  omnes,"  Virgil  says;  and  there  are  intellects  who 
could  no  more  master  such  a  method,  than  they  could  un- 
derstand the  binomial  theorem,  or  calculate  the  orbit  of 
Uranus.  If  it  be  true,  as  has  been  epigramatically  said, 
that  "a  great  book  is  a  great  evil,"  let  it  be  reduced  to  a 
small  one  by  the  skilful  use  of  the  art  of  skipping.  Then, 
"he  that  runs  may  read"  as  he  runs — while,  without  this 
refuge,  he  that  reads  will  often  assuredly  be  tempted  to 
run. 

What  I  said,  just  now,  in  deprecation  of  set  courses  of 
reading,  was  designed  for  private  students  only,  who  so 
often  find  a  stereot)'ped  sequence  of  books  barren  or  unin- 
teresting. It  was  not  intended  to  discourage  the  pursuit 
of  a  special  course  of  study  in  the  school,  or  the  society,  or 
the  reading  class.  This  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  best  means 
of  intellectual  progress.  Here,  there  is  the  opportunity 
to  discuss  the  style,  tlie  merits,  and  the  characteristics  of 
the  author  in  liand,  and  by  the  attrition  of  mind  witli 
mind,  to  inform  and  entertain  the  whole  circle  of  renders. 
In  an  association  of  this  kind,  eml)racing  one  or  two  acute 
minds,  the  excellent  practice  of  reading  aloud  finds  its  best 


ITS  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    KEADEES. 

results.  Here,  too,  the  art  of  expression  becomes  import- 
ant, how  to  adapt  tlie  sound  to  the  sense,  by  a  just  empha- 
sis, intonation,  and  modulation  of  the  voice.  In  short,  tlie 
value  of  a  book  thus  read  and  discussed,  in  an  appreciative 
circle,  may  be  more  than  doubled  to  each  reader. 

It  is  almost  literally  true  that  no  book,  undertaken 
merely  as  task  work,  ever  helped  the  reader  to  knowledge 
of  permanent  or  material  value.  How  many  persons, 
struck  by  Mr.  Emerson's  exalted  praise  of  the  writings  of 
Plato,  have  undertaken  to  go  through  the  Dialogues. 
Alas!  for  the  vain  ambition  to  be  or  to  seem  learned!  Af- 
ter trying  to  understand  the  Phaedo,  or  falling  asleep  over 
the  Gorgias,  the  book  has  been  dropped  as  hastily  as  it  was 
taken  up.  It  was  not  perceived  that  in  order  to  enjoy  or 
comprehend  a  philosopher,  one  must  have  a  capacity  for 
ideas.  It  requires  almost  as  much  intelligence  to  appreci- 
ate an  idea  as  to  conceive  one.  One  will  bring  nothing 
home  from  the  most  persistent  cruise  after  knowledge,  un- 
less he  carries  something  out.  In  the  realm  of  learning, 
we  recognize  the  full  meaning  of  that  Scripture,  that  to 
him  that  hath,  shall  be  given;  and  he  that  hath  not, 
though  never  so  anxious  to  read  and  understand  Plato,  will 
quickly  return  to  the  perusal  of  his  daily  newspaper. 

It  were  easier,  perhaps,  in  one  sense,  to  tell  what  not 
to  read,  than  to  recommend  what  is  best  worth  reading. 
In  the  publishing  world,  this  is  the  age  of  compilation, 
not  of  creation.  If  we  seek  for  great  original  works,  if 
we  must  go  to  the  wholesale  merchants  to  buy  knowledge, 
since  retail  geniuses  are  worth  but  little,  one  must  go 
back  many  years  for  his  main  selection  of  books.  It  would 
not  be  a  bad  rule  for  those  who  can  read  but  little,  to  read 
no  book  until  it  has  been  published  at  least  a  year  or  two. 
This  fever  for  the  newest  books  is  not  a  wholesome  condi- 
tion of  the  mind.     And  since  a  selection  must  indispensa- 


THE    ART   OF    EEADIXG.  179 

bly  be  made,  and  that  selection  must  be,  for  the  great  mass 
of  readers,  so  rigid  and  so  small,  why  should  precious  time 
be  wasted  upon  the  ephemeral  productions  of  the  hour? 
What  business,  for  example,  has  one  to  be  reading  Eider 
Haggard,  or  Amelie  Eives,  or  Ian  Maclaren,  who  has  never 
read  Homer,  or  Dante,  or  even  so  much  as  half-a-dozen 
plays  of  Shakespeare? 

One  hears  with  dismay  that  about  three-fourths  of  the 
books  drawn  from  our  popular  libraries  are  novels.  Xow, 
while  such  aimless  reading,  merely  to  be  amused,  is  doubt- 
less better  than  no  reading  at  all,  it  is  unquestionably  true 
that  over-much  reading  of  fiction,  especially  at  an  early 
age,  enervates  the  mind,  weakens  the  will,  makes  dreamers 
instead  of  thinkers  and  workers,  and  fills  the  imagination 
with  morbid  and  unreal  views  of  life.  Yet  the  vast  con- 
sumption of  novels  is  due  more  to  the  cheapness  and  wide 
diffusion  of  such  works,  and  the  want  of  wise  direction  in 
other  fields,  than  to  any  original  tendency  on  the  part  of 
the  young.  People  will  always  read  the  most,  that  which 
is  most  put  before  them,  if  only  the  style  be  attractive. 
The  mischief  that  is  done  by  improper  books  is  literally 
immeasureable.  The  superabundance  of  cheap  fictions  in 
the  markets  creates  and  supplies  an  appetite  which  should 
be  directed  by  wise  guidance  into  more  improving  fields. 
A  two-fold  evil  follows  upon  the  reading  of  every  un- 
worthy book;  in  the  first  place,  it  absorbs  the  time  which 
should  be  bestowed  upon  a  worthy  one;  and  secondly,  it 
leaves  the  mind  and  heart  unimproved,  instead  of  conduc- 
ing to  the  benefit  of  both.  As  there  are  few  books  more 
elevating  than  a  really  good  novel,  so  there  are  none  more 
fruitful  of  evil  than  a  bad  one. 

And  what  of  the  newspaper?  it  may  be  asked.  Wbon  I 
consider  for  how  much  really  good  literature  we  are  1>''- 
holden  to  the  daily  and  weekly  press,  liow  indispensable 


180  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS 

is  its  fuiK'tioii  iis  purveyor  of  the  news  of  the  world,  how 
widely  it  has  been  improved  in  recent  years,  I  cannot  ad- 
vise quarrelin^sx  with  the  bridge  that  brings  so  many  across 
tlie  gulf  of  ignorance.  Yet  the  newspaper,  like  the  book, 
is  to  be  read  sparingly,  and  with  judgment.  It  is  to  be 
used,  not  abused.  I  call  that  an  abuse  which  squanders 
the  precious  and  unreturning  hours  over  long  chronicles 
of  depravity.  The  murders,  the  suicides,  the  executions, 
the  divorces,  the  criminal  trials,  are  each  and  all  so  like 
one  another  that  it  is  only  a  wanton  waste  of  time  to  read 
them.  The  morbid  style  in  which  social  disorders  of  all 
kinds  are  written  up  in  the  sensational  press,  with  staring 
headlines  to  attract  attention,  ought  to  warn  off  every 
healthy  mind  from  their  perusal.  Every  scandal  in  so- 
ciety that  can  be  brought  to  the  surface  is  eagerly  caught 
up  and  paraded,  while  the  millions  of  people  who  lead 
blameless  lives  of  course  go  unnoticed  and  unchronicled. 
Such  journals  thus  inculcate  the  vilest  pessimism,  in- 
stead of  a  wholesome  and  honest  belief  in  the  average  de- 
cency of  human  nature.  The  prolixity  of  the  narrative, 
too,  is  always  in  monstrous  disproportion  to  its  importance. 
"Does  not  the  burning  of  a  metropolitan  theatre,"  says  a 
great  writer,  "take  above  a  million  times  as  much  telling  as 
the  creation  of  a  world?"  Here  is  where  the  art  of  skip- 
ping is  to  be  rigorously  applied.  Eead  the  newspaper  by 
headlines  only, — skipping  all  the  murders,  all  the  fires,  all 
the  executions,  all  the  crimes,  all  the  news,  except  the  most 
important  and  immediately  interesting, — and  you  will 
spend  perhaps  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  upon  what  would 
otherwise  occupy  hours.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that 
most  persons  have  spent  time  enough  over  the  newspapers, 
to  have  given  them  a  liberal  education. 

As  all  readers  cannot  have  the  same  gifts,  so  all  cannot 


THE    ART    OF    READING.  181 

enjoy  the  same  books.  There  are  those  who  can  see  no 
greatness  in  Shakespeare,  but  who  think  Tupper's  Pro- 
verbial Philosophy  sublime.  Some  will  eagerly  devour 
every  novel  of  Miss  Braddon's,  or  "The  Duchess/'  or  the 
woman  calling  herself  "Ouida,"  Init  they  cannot  appreciate 
the  masterly  fictions  of  Thackeray.  I  have  known  very 
good  people  who  could  not,  for  the  life  of  them,  find  any 
humor  in  Dickens,  but  who  actually  enjoyed  the  strained 
wit  of  Mrs.  Partington  and  Bill  Xye.  Readers  wlio  could 
not  get  tlirough  a  volume  of  Gibbon  will  read  with  admira- 
tion a  so-called  History  of  Napoleon  by  Abbott.  And  I 
fear  tluit  you  will  find  many  a  young  lady  of  to-da}',  who  is 
content  to  be  ignorant  of  Homer  and  Shakespeare,  but  who 
is  ravished  by  the  charms  of  "Trilby"  or  the  "Heavenly 
Twins."  But  taste  in  literature,  as  in  art,  or  in  anything 
else,  can  be  cultivated.  Lay  down  the  rule,  and  adhere 
to  it,  to  read  none  but  the  best  books,  and  you  will  soon 
lose  all  relisli  for  tlie  poor  ones.  You  can  educate  readers 
into  good  judges,  in  no  long  time,  by  feeding  them  on  the 
masterpieces  of  English  prose  and  poetry.  Surely,  we  all 
have  cause  to  deprecate  the  remorseless  flood  of  fictitious 
literature  in  wliich  better  books  are  drowned. 

Be  not  dismayed  at  the  vast  multitude  of  books,  nor  fear 
that,  with  your  small  leisure,  you  will  never  be  able  to 
master  any  appreciable  share  of  them.  Few  and  far  be- 
tween are  the  great  books  of  tlic  world.  The  works  which 
it  is  necessary  to  know,  may  be  comprised  in  a  com])nra- 
tively  small  compass.  The  rest  are  to  be  preserved  in  the 
great  literary  conservatories,  some  as  records  of  the  past, 
others  as  chronicles  of  the  times,  and  not  a  few  as  models 
to  be  avoided.  The  Congressional  Lil)rary  at  Washington 
is  our  great  National  conservatory  of  books.  As  the  li- 
brary of  the  government — that  is,  of  the  whoh*  ])('ople, — 
it  is  inclusive  of  all  the  literature  which  the  country  pro- 


182  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

duces,  while  all  the  other  libraries  are  and  must  be  more 
or  less  exclusive.  No  National  Library  can  ever  be  too 
large.  In  order  that  the  completeness  of  the  collection 
shall  not  fail,  and  to  preserve  the  whole  of  our  literature, 
it  is  put  into  tlie  Statute  of  Copyright,  as  a  condition  prec- 
edent of  the  exclusive  right  to  multiply  copies  of  any  l)ook, 
that  it  shall  be  deposited  in  the  Library  of  Congress.  Ap- 
prehension is  sometimes  expressed  that  our  National  Li- 
brary will  become  overloaded  with  trash,  and  so  fail  of  its 
usefulness.  'Tis  a  lost  fear.  There  is  no  act  of  Congress 
requiring  all  the  books  to  be  read.  The  public  sense  is 
continually  winnowing  and  sifting  the  literature  of  every 
period,  and  to  books  and  their  authors,  every  day  is  the  day 
of  judgment.  Nowhere  in  the  world  is  the  inexorable  law 
of  the  survival  of  the  fittest  more  rigidly  applied  than  in 
the  world  of  books.  The  works  which  are  the  most  fre- 
quently re-printed  in  successive  ages  are  the  ones  which  it 
is  safe  to  stand  by. 

Books  may  be  divided  into  three  classes :  1st,  acquaint- 
ances; 2d,  friends;  and  3d,  intimates. 

It  is  well  enough  to  have  an  acquaintance  with  a  multi- 
tude of  books,  as  with  many  people;  though  in  either  case 
much  time  should  not  be  given  to  merely  pleasant  inter- 
course, that  leads  to  no  result.  "With  our  literary  friends, 
we  can  spend  more  time,  for  they  awaken  keen  interest, 
and  are  to  be  read  with  zest,  and  consequently  with  profit. 
But  for  our  chosen  intimates,  our  heart-companions,  we 
reserve  our  highest  regard,  and  our  best  hours.  Choice 
and  sacred  is  the  book  that  makes  an  era  in  the  life  of  the 
reader;  the  book  which  first  rouses  his  higher  nature,  and 
awakens  the  reason  or  the  imagination.  Such  a  volume 
will  many  a  one  remember;  the  book  which  first  excited 
his  own  thought,  made  him  conscious  of  untried  powers, 
and  opened  to  his  charmed  vision  a  new  world. 


THE    ART    OF    READING.  IS'S 

Such  a  book  has  Carlyle's  vSartor  Kesartus  been  to  many ; 
or  the  play  of  Hamlet,  read  for  the  first  time ;  or  the  Faust 
of  Goethe;  or  the  Confessions  of  St.  Augustine;  or  an  es- 
say of  Emerson ;  or  John  Ruskin ;  or  the  Divine  Comedy  of 
Dante;  or  even  an  exquisite  work  of  fiction,  like  John  Hali- 
fax, or  Henry  Esmond.  What  the  book  is  that  works  such 
miracles  is  never  of  so  much  importance  as  the  epoch  in 
the  mind  of  the  reader  which  it  signalizes.  It  were  vain 
to  single  out  any  one  writer,  and  say  to  all  readers — "Here 
is  the  book  that  must  indispensably  be  read;"  for  the  same 
book  will  have  totally  different  effects  upon  different 
minds,  or  even  upon  the  same  mind,  at  different  stages  of 
development. 

When  I  have  been  asked  to  contribute  to  the  once  popu- 
lar symposia  upon  "Books  which  have  helped  me," — I  have 
declined,  for  such  catalogues  of  intellectual  aids  are  liable 
to  be  very  misleading.  Thus,  if  I  were  to  name  the  book 
which  did  more  than  most  others  for  my  own  mind,  I 
should  say  that  it  was  tlic  Emile  of  Rousseau,  read  at  about 
the  age  of  seventeen.  This  work,  written  witli  that  mar- 
vellous eloquence  which  characterises  all  the  best  produc- 
tions of  Jean  Jacques,  first  brought  mo  acquainted  with 
those  advanced  ideas  of  education  which  have  penetrated 
the  whole  modern  world.  Yet  the  Emile  would  probably 
appear  to  most  of  my  readers  trite  and  common-place,  as 
it  would  now  to  me,  for  the  reason  that  we  have  long 
passed  the  period  of  development  when  its  ideas  wore  new 
to  us. 

But  the  formative  power  of  books  can  never  be  over- 
rated :  their  subtle  mastery  to  stimulate  all  the  germs  of  in- 
tellectual and  moral  life  that  lie  enfolded  in  the  mind.  As 
the  poet  sings — 

"J'.ooks  are  not  seldom  talismans  and  spells." 

Wby  sbonld  thoy  not  be  so?     'IMicv  furnish  iis  (he  means. 


18-4  A    nOOK   FOB   ALL   READERS. 

and  the  only  means,  whereby  we  may  hold  communion 
with  the  master-spirits  of  all  ages.  They  bring  us  ac- 
quainted with  the  best  thoughts  which  the  human  mind 
has  produced,  expressed  in  the  noblest  language.  Books 
create  for  us  the  many-sided  world,  carry  us  abroad,  out 
of  our  narrow  provincial  horizons,  and  reveal  to  us  new 
scenery,  new  men,  new  languages,  and  new  modes  of  life. 
As  we  read,  the  mind  expands  with  the  horizon,  and  be- 
comes broad  as  the  blue  heaven  above  us.  With  Homer, 
we  breathe  the  fresh  air  of  the  pristine  world,  when  the 
light  of  poetry  gilded  every  mountain  top,  and  peopled  the 
earth  with  heroes  and  demigods.  With  Plutarch,  we  walk 
in  company  with  sages,  warriors,  and  statesmen,  and  kindle 
with  admiration  of  their  virtues,  or  are  roused  to  indigna- 
tion at  their  crimes.  With  Sophocles,  we  sound  the  depths 
of  human  passion,  and  learn  the  sublime  lesson  of  endur- 
ance. We  are  charmed  with  an  ode  of  Horace,  perfect  in 
rhythm,  perfect  In  sentiment,  perfect  in  diction,  and  per- 
fect in  moral ;  the  condensed  essence  of  volumes  in  a  single 
page.  We  walk  with  Dante  through  the  nether  world, 
awed  by  the  tremendous  power  with  which  he  depicts  for 
us  the  secrets  of  the  prison  house.  With  Milton,  we 
mount  heaven-ward,  and  in  the  immortal  verse  of  his  minor 
poems,  finer  even  than  the  stately  march  of  Paradise  Lost, 
we  hear  celestial  music,  and  breathe  diviner  air.  With 
that  sovereign  artist,  Shakespeare,  full  equally  of  delight 
and  of  majesty,  we  sweep  the  horizon  of  this  complex  hu- 
man life,  and  become  comprehensive  scholars  and  citizens 
of  the  world.  The  masters  of  fiction  enthrall  us  with 
their  fascinating  pages,  one  moment  shaking  us  with  un- 
controllable laughter,  and  the  next,  dissolving  us  in  tears. 
In  the  presence  of  all  these  emanations  of  genius,  the  wise 
reader  may  feed  on  nectar  and  ambrosia,  and  forget  the 
petty  cares  and  vexations  of  to-day. 


THE    ART    OF    READING.  185 

There  are  some  books  that  charm  us  by  their  wit  or  their 
sweetness^  others  that  surprise  and  captivate  us  by  their 
strength:  books  that  refresh  us  when  weary:  books  that 
comfort  us  when  afflicted :  books  that  stimulate  us  by  their 
robust  health:  books  that  exalt  and  refine  our  natures,  as 
it  were,  to  a  finer  mould :  books  that  rouse  us  like  the  sound 
of  a  trumpet:  books  that  illumine  the  darkest  hours,  and 
fill  all  our  day  with  delight. 

It  is  books  that  record  the  advance  and  the  decline  of 
nations,  the  experience  of  the  world,  the  achievements  and 
the  possibilities  of  mankind.  It  is  books  that  reveal  to  us 
ideas  and  images  almost  above  ourselves,  and  go  far  to  open 
for  us  the  gates  of  the  invisible.  "A  river  of  thought," 
says  Emerson,  "is  continually  flowing  out  of  the  invisible 
world  into  the  mind  of  man :"  and  we  may  add  that  books 
contain  the  most  fruitful  and  permanent  of  the  currents 
of  that  mighty  river. 

I  am  not  disposed  to  celebrate  the  praises  of  all  books, 
nor  to  recommend  to  readers  of  any  age  a  habit  of  indis- 
criminate reading:  but  for  the  books  which  are  true  help- 
ers and  teachers,  the  thoughts  of  the  best  poets,  historians, 
publicists,  philosophers,  orators, — if  their  value  is  not  real, 
then  there  are  no  realities  in  the  world. 

Very  true  is  it,  nevertheless,  that  the  many-sided  man 
cannot  be  cultivated  by  books  alone.  One  may  learn  by 
heart  whole  libraries,  and  yet  be  profoundly  unacquainted 
with  the  face  of  nature,  or  the  life  of  man.  The  pale  stu- 
dent who  gives  himself  wholly  to  books  pays  the  penalty  by 
losing  that  robust  energy  of  character,  that  sympathy  witli 
his  kind,  that  keen  sense  of  the  charms  of  earth  and  sky, 
that  are  essential  to  complete  development.  "The  world's 
gi'eat  men,"  says  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  "have  not  com- 
monly been  great  scholars,  nor  its  scholars  great  men." 
To  know  what  other  men  have  said  about  things  is  not  al- 


186  A    BOOK    FOE   ALL    EEADERS. 

ways  the  most  important  part  of  knowledge.  There  is 
nothing  that  can  dispense  us  from  the  independent  use  of 
our  own  faculties.  Meditation  and  observation  are  more 
valuable  than  mere  absorption;  and  knowledge  itself  is  not 
wisdom.  The  true  way  to  use  books  is  to  make  them  our 
servants — not  our  masters.  Very  helpful,  cheering,  and 
lirofitable  will  they  become,  when  they  fall  naturally  into 
our  daily  life  and  growth — when  they  tally  with  the  moods 
of  the  mind. 

The  habits  and  methods  of  readers  are  as  various  as  those 
of  authors.  Thus,  there  are  some  readers  who  gobble  a 
book,  as  Boswell  tells  us  Dr.  Johnson  used  to  gobble  his 
dinner — eagerly,  and  with  a  furious  appetite,  suggestive  of 
dyspepsia,  and  the  non-assimilation  of  food.  Then  there 
are  slow  readers,  who  plod  along  through  a  book,  sentence 
by  sentence,  putting  in  a  mark  conscientiously  where  they 
left  ofP  to-day,  so  as  to  begin  at  the  self -same  spot  to-mor- 
row; fast  readers,  who  gallop  through  a  book,  as  you  would 
ride  a  flying  bic3'cle  on  a  race;  drowsy  readers,  to  whom  a 
book  is  only  a  covert  apology  for  a  nap,  and  who  pretend 
to  be  reading  Macaulay  or  Herbert  Spencer  only  to  dream 
between  the  leaves;  sensitive  readers,  who  cannot  abide  the 
least  noise  or  interruption  when  reading,  and  to  whose 
nerves  a  foot-fall  or  a  conversation  is  an  exquisite  torture; 
absorbed  readers,  who  are  so  pre-occupied  with  their  pur- 
suit that  they  forget  all  their  surroundings — the  time  of 
day,  the  presence  or  the  voices  of  others,  the  hour  for  din- 
ner, and  even  their  own  existence;  credulous  readers,  who 
believe  everything  they  read  because  it  is  printed  in  a 
book,  and  swallow  without  winking  the  most  colossal  ly- 
ing; critical  and  captious  readers,  who  quarrel  with  the 
blunders  or  the  beliefs  of  their  author,  and  who  cannot  re- 
frain from  calling  him  an  idiot  or  an  ass — and  perhaps 
even  writing  him  down  so  on  his  own  pages ;  admiring  and 


THE    AET    OF    EEADING.  187 

receptive  readers,  who  find  fresh  beauties  in  a  favorite 
author  every  time  they  peruse  him,  and  even  discover  beau- 
tiful swans  in  the  stupidest  geese  that  ever  cackled  along 
the  flowery  meads  of  literature;  reverent  readers,  who  treat 
a  book  as  they  would  treat  a  great  and  good  man,  consider- 
ately and  politely,  carefully  brushing  the  dust  from  a  be- 
loved volume  with  the  sleeve,  or  tenderly  lifting  a  book 
fallen  to  the  floor,  as  if  they  thought  it  suffered,  or  felt 
harm;  careless  and  rough  readers,  who  will  turn  down 
books  on  their  faces  to  keep  the  place,  tumble  them  over 
in  heaps,  cram  them  into  shelves  never  meant  for  them, 
scribble  upon  the  margins,  dogs-ear  the  leaves,  or  even  cut 
them  with  their  fingers — all  brutal  and  intolerable  prac- 
tices, totally  unworthy  of  any  one  pretending  to  civiliza- 
tion. 

To  those  who  have  well  learned  the  art  of  reading,  what 
inexhaustible  delights  does  the  world  of  books  contain! 
With  Milton,  "to  behold  the  bright  countenance  of  truth, 
in  the  quiet  and  still  air  of  delightful  studies;"  to  journey 
through  far  countries  with  Marco  Polo ;  to  steer  across  an 
unknown  sea  with  Columbus,  or  to  brave  the  dangers  of 
the  frozen  ocean  with  Nansen  or  Dr.  Kane;  to  study  the 
manners  of  ancient  nations  with  Herodotus;  to  live  over 
again  the  life  of  Greece  and  Rome  with  Plutarch's  heroes; 
to  trace  the  decline  of  empires  with  Gibbon  and  Mommsen ; 
to  pursue  the  story  of  the  modern  world  in  the  pages  of 
Hume,  Macaulay,  Thiers  and  Sismondi,  and  our  own  Pres- 
cott,  Motley,  and  P>ancroft;  to  enjoy  afresh  the  eloquence 
of  Demosthenes,  and  the  polished  and  splendid  diction  of 
Cicero;  to  drink  in  the  wisdom  of  philosophers,  and  to 
walk  with  Socrates,  Plato  and  the  stoics  througli  the 
groves  of  Academia;  to  be  kindled  by  the  saintly  utter- 
ances of  prophets  and  apostles,  St.  Paul's  high  roaRonin<i:  of 
immortality,  or  the  seraphic  visions  of  St.  John;  to  study 


188  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    HEADERS. 

the  laws  that  govern  communities  with  the  great  publi- 
cists, or  the  economy  of  nations  with  Adam  Smith  and 
Stuart  Mill;  with  the  naturalists,  to  sound  the  depths  of 
the  argument  as  to  the  origin  of  species  and  the  genesis  of 
man;  with  the  astronomers,  to  leave  the  narrow  bounds  of 
earth,  and  explore  the  illimitable  spaces  of  the  universe, 
in  which  our  solar  system  is  but  a  speck;  with  the  mathe- 
maticians, to  quit  the  uncertain  realm  of  speculation  and 
assumption,  and  plant  our  feet  firmly  on  the  rock  of  exact 
science: — to  come  back  anon  to  lighter  themes,  and  to 
revel  in  the  grotesque  humor  of  Dickens,  the  philosophic 
page  of  Bulwer,  the  chivalric  romances  of  Walter  Scott, 
the  ideal  creations  of  Hawthorne,  the  finished  life-pictures 
of  George  Eliot,  the  powerful  imagination  of  Victor  Hugo, 
and  the  masterly  delineations  of  Thackeray;  to  hang  over 
the  absorbing  biographies  of  Dr.  Franklin,  Walter  Scott 
and  Dr.  Johnson;  to  peruse  with  fresh  delight  the  master- 
pieces of  Irving  and  Goldsmith,  and  the  best  essays  of  Haz- 
litt,  De  Quincey,  Charles  Lamb,  and  Montaigne;  to  feel 
the  inspiration  of  the  great  poets  of  all  ages,  from  Homer 
down  to  Tennyson;  to  read  Shakespeare — a  book  that  is  in 
itself  almost  a  university: — is  not  all  this  satisfaction 
enough  for  human  appetite,  however  craving,  solace 
enough  for  trouble,  however  bitter,  occupation  enough  for 
life,  however  long? 

There  are  pleasures  that  perish  in  the  using;  but  the 
pleasure  which  the  art  of  reading  carries  with  it  is  peren- 
nial. He  who  can  feast  on  the  intellectual  spoils  of  cen- 
turies need  fear  neither  poverty  nor  hunger.  In  the  so- 
ciety of  those  immortals  who  still  rule  our  spirits  from 
their  urns,  we  become  assured  that  though  heaven  and 
earth  may  pass  away,  no  true  thought  shall  ever  pass  away. 

The  great  orator,  on  whose  lips  once  hung  multitudes, 
dies  and  is  forgotten;  the  great  actor  passes  swiftly  off  the 


THE   ART   OF    READIXG.  189 

stage,  and  is  seen  no  more;  the  great  singer,  whose  voice 
charmed  listening  crowds  by  its  melody,  is  hushed  in  the 
grave;  the  great  preacher  survives  but  a  single  generation 
in  the  memory  of  men;  all  we  Avho  now  live  and  act  must 
be,  in  a  little  while,  with  yesterday's  seven  thousand  years: 
— but  the  book  of  the  great  writer  lives  on  and  on,  inspir- 
ing age  after  age  of  readers,  and  has  in  it  more  of  the  seeds 
of  immortality  than  anything  upon  earth. 


CHAPTER  10. 

Aids  to  Readers. 

There  is  one  venerable  Latin  proverb  which  deserves  a 
wider  recognition  than  it  lias  yet  received.  It  is  to  the 
effect  that  "the  best  part  of  learning  is  to  know  where  to 
find  things."  From  lack  of  this  knowledge,  an  unskilled 
reader  will  often  spend  hours  in  vainly  searching  for  what 
a  skilled  reader  can  find  in  less  than  five  minutes.  Now, 
librarians  are  presumed  to  be  skilled  readers,  although  it 
would  not  be  quite  safe  to  apply  this  designation  to  all  of 
that  profession,  since  there  are  those  among  librarians,  or 
their  assistants,  who  are  mere  novices  in  the  art  of  reading 
to  advantage.  Manifestly,  one  cannot  teach  what  he  does 
not  know :  and  so  the  librarian  who  Jias  not  previously  trav- 
elled the  same  road,  will  not  be  able  to  guide  the  inquiring 
reader  who  asks  him  to  point  out  the  way.  But  if  the  way 
has  once  been  found,  the  librarian,  with  only  a  fairly  good 
memory,  kept  in  constant  exercise  by  his  vocation,  can  find 
it  again.  Still  more  surely,  if  he  has  been  through  it  many 
times,  will  he  know  it  intuitively,  the  moment  any  question 
is  asked  about  it. 

It  is  true  of  the  great  majority  of  readers  resorting  to 
a  library,  that  they  have  a  most  imperfect  idea,  both  of 
what  they  want,  and  of  the  proper  way  to  find  it.  The 
world  of  knowledge,  they  know,  is  vast,  and  they  are  quite 
bewildered  by  the  many  paths  that  lead  to  some  part  or 
other  of  it,  crossing  each  other  in  all  directions.  And 
among  the  would-be  readers  may  be  found  every  shade  of 
intelligence,  and  every  degree  of  ignorance.  There  is  the 
timid  variety,  too  modest  or  diffident  to  ask  for  any  help  at 

(190) 


AIDS   TO    KEADEBS.  191 

all,  and  so  feeling  about  among  the  catalogues  or  other 
reference-hooks  in  a  baffled  search  for  information.  There 
is  the  sciolist  variet}',  who  knows  it  all,  or  imagines  that 
he  does,  and  who  asks  for  proof  of  impossible  facts,  with 
an  assurance  born  of  the  profoundest  ignorance.  Then, 
too,  there  is  the  half-informed  reader,  who  is  in  search  of 
a  book  he  once  read,  but  has  clean  forgotten,  which  had  a 
remarkable  description  of  a  tornado  in  the  "West,  or  a 
storm  and  ship-wreck  at  sea,  or  a  wonderful  tropical  gar- 
den, or  a  thrilling  escape  from  prison,  or  a  descent  into  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  or  a  tremendous  snow-storm,  or  a 
swarming  flight  of  migratory  birds,  or  a  mausoleum  of  de- 
parted kings,  or  a  haunted  chamber  hung  with  tapestry, 
or  the  fatal  caving-in  of  a  coal-mine,  or  a  widely  destruc- 
tive flood,  or  a  hair-breadth  escape  from  cannibals,  or  a 
race  for  life,  pursued  by  wolves,  or  a  wondrous  sub-marine 
grotto,  or  a  terrible  forest  fire,  or  any  one  of  a  hundred 
scenes  or  descriptions,  all  of  which  the  librarian  is  pre- 
sumed, not  only  to  have  read,  but  to  have  retained  in  his 
memory  the  author,  the  title,  and  the  very  chapter  of  the 
book  which  contained  it. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  extent  and  variety  of  informa- 
tion which  a  librarian  is  supposed  to  possess,  I  have  been 
asked,  almost  at  the  same  time,  to  refer  a  reader  to  the 
origin  of  Candlemas  day,  to  define  the  Pragmatic  Sanc- 
tion, to  give,  out  of  hand,  the  aggregate  wealth  of  Great 
Britain,  compared  witli  that  of  half-a-dozen  otlier  nations, 
to  define  the  limits  of  neutrality  or  belligerent  rights,  to 
explain  wliatismeant  by  the  Gresliam  law,  to  tell  what  ship 
has  made  the  quickest  voyage  to  Europe,  when  she  made 
it,  and  what  the  time  was,  to  elucidate  the  meaning  of  the 
Carolina  doctrine,  to  explain  the  character  and  objects  of 
the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  to  tell  how  large  are  the 
endowments  of  the  l>ritish  T^nivcrsities,  to  give  the  origin 


192  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

of  the  custom  of  egg-rolling,  to  tell  the  meaning  of  the 
cipher  dispatches,  to  explain  who  was  "Extra  Billy  Smith," 
to  tell  the  aggregate  number  killed  on  all  sides  during  the 
Napoleonic  wars,  to  certify  who  wrote  the  "Vestiges  of 
Creation,"  or,  finally,  to  give  the  author  of  one  of  those 
innumerable  ancient  proverbs,  which  float  about  the  world 
without  a  father. 

The  great  number  and  variety  of  such  inquiries  as  are 
propounded  by  readers  should  not  appal  one.  Nor  should 
one  too  readily  take  refuge  from  a  troublesome  reader  by 
the  plea,  however  convenient,  that  the  library  contains 
nothing  on  that  subject.  While  this  may  unquestionably 
be  true,  especially  as  regards  a  small  public  library,  it 
should  never  be  put  forward  as  a  certainty,  until  one  has 
looked.  Most  inquiring  readers  are  very  patient,  and 
being  fully  sensible  how  much  they  owe  to  the  free  enjoy- 
ment of  the  library  treasures,  and  to  the  aid  of  the  super- 
intendent of  them,  they  are  willing  to  wait  for  informa- 
tion. However  busy  you  may  be  at  the  moment,  the  reader 
can  be  asked  to  wait,  or  to  call  at  a  less  busy  time,  when 
you  will  be  prepared  with  a  more  satisfactory  answer  than 
can  be  given  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  What  cannot 
be  done  to-day,  may  often  be  done  to-morrow.  Eemember 
always,  that  readers  are  entitled  to  the  best  and  most  care- 
ful service,  for  a  librarian  is  not  only  the  keeper,  but  the 
interpreter  of  the  intellectual  stores  of  the  library.  It 
is  a  good  and  a  safe  rule  to  let  no  opportunity  of  aiding  a 
reader  escape.  One  should  be  particularly  careful  to 
volunteer  help  to  those  who  are  too  new  or  too  timid  to 
ask:  and  it  is  they  who  will  be  most  grateful  for  any  as- 
sistance. The  librarian  has  only  to  put  himself  in  their 
place — (the  golden  rule  for  a  librarian,  as  for  all  the  world 
besides),  and  to  consider  how  often,  in  his  own  searches  in 
libraries,  in  the  continual,  never-ending  quest  of  knowl- 


AIDS    TO    EEADERS.  193 

edge,  he  would  have  been  thankful  for  a  hint  from  some 
one  who  knew,  or  had  been  over  the  ground  of  his  search 
before;  and  then  he  will  feel  the  full  value  to  the  novice, 
of  such  knowledge  as  he  can  impart. 

He  is  not  to  forget  that  his  superior  opportunities  for 
learning  all  about  things,  with  a  whole  library  at  com- 
mand, and  within  elbow-reach  every  hour  of  the  day, 
should  impose  upon  him  a  higher  standard  of  attainment 
than  most  readers  are  supposed  to  have  reached.  In  the 
intervals  of  library  work,  I  am  accustomed  to  consider  the 
looking  up  of  subjects  or  authorities  as  one  of  my  very 
best  recreations.  It  is  as  interesting  as  a  game  of  whist, 
and  much  more  profitable.  It  is  more  welcome  than  rou- 
tine labor,  for  it  rests  or  diverts  the  mind,  by  its  very 
variety,  while,  to  note  the  different  views  or  expressions  of 
writers  on  the  same  subject,  affords  almost  endless  enter- 
tainment. In  tracing  down  a  quotation  also,  or  the  half- 
remembered  line  of  some  verse  in  poetry,  you  encounter  a 
host  of  parallel  poetic  images  or  expressions,  which  contri- 
bute to  aid  the  memory,  or  to  feed  the  imagination.  Or, 
in  pursuing  a  sought-for  fact  in  history,  through  many 
volumes,  you  learn  collaterally  much  that  may  never  have 
met  your  eye  before.  Full,  as  all  libraries  are,  of  what 
we  call  trash,  there  is  almost  no  book  which  will  not  give 
us  something, — even  though  it  be  only  the  negative  virtue 
of  a  model  to  be  avoided.  One  may  not,  indeed,  always 
find  what  he  seeks,  l^ecause  it  may  not  exist  at  all, 
or  it  may  not  be  found  in  the  limited  range  of  his  small 
library,  but  he  is  almost  sure  to  find  something  which 
gives  food  for  thought,  or  for  memory  to  note.  And  this 
is  one  of  the  foremost  attractions,  let  me  add,  of  the  libra- 
rian's calling;  it  is  more  full  of  intellectual  variety,  of  wide- 
open  avenues  to  knowledge,  than  any  other  vocation  what- 
ever.    His  daily  quests  in  pursuit  of  information  to  lay  be- 


li>i  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    HEADERS. 

fore  others,  bring  him  acquainted  with  passages  that  are 
full  of  endless  suggestion  for  himself.  He  may  not  be  able 
to  pursue  any  of  these  avenues  at  the  moment;  but  he 
should  make  a  mental  or  a  written  note  of  them,  for  future 
benefit.  His  daily  business  being  learning,  why  should  he 
not  in  time,  become  learned?  There  are,  of  course,  among 
the  infinitude  of  questions,  that  come  before  the  librarian, 
some  that  are  really  insoluble  problems.  One  of  these  is 
to  be  found  among  the  topics  of  inquiry  I  just  now  sug- 
gested; namely:  what  is  the  aggregate  wealth  of  Great 
Britain,  or  that  of  other  nations?  This  is  a  question  fre- 
quently asked  by  inquiring  Congressmen,  who  imagine  that 
an  answer  may  readily  be  had  from  one  of  those  gifted 
librarians  who  is  invested  with  that  apocryphal  attribute, 
commonly  called  omniscience.  But  the  inquirer  is  sud- 
denly confronted  by  the  fact  (and  a  very  stubborn  fact  it 
is)  that  not  a  single  foreign  nation  has  ever  taken  any 
census  of  wealth  whatever.  In  Great  Britain  (about  which 
country  inquiry  as  to  the  national  resources  more  largely 
centres)  the  government  wisely  lets  alone  the  attempt  to 
tabulate  the  value  of  private  wealth,  knowing  that  such  an 
object  is  utterly  impracticable. 

But,  while  the  British  census  makes  no  attempt  at  esti- 
mating the  property  of  the  people,  the  independent  esti- 
mates of  statistical  writers  vary  hopelessly  and  irreconcil- 
ably. Mr.  J.  E.  McCulloch,  one  of  the  foremost  ac- 
credited writers  on  economic  science,  lays  it  down  as  a 
dictum,  that  "sixty  years  is  the  shortest  time  in  which  the 
capital  of  an  old  and  densely-peopled  country  can  be  ex- 
pected to  be  doubled."  Yet  Joseph  Lowe  assumes  the 
wealth  of  the  United  Kingdom  to  have  doubled  in  eigh- 
teen years,  from  1823  to  1841;  while  George  E.  Porter, 
in  his  widely-accredited  book  on  the  "Progress  of  the  Na- 
tion," and  Leoni  Levi,  a  publicist  of  high  reputation,  make 


AIDS   TO    EEADEES.  195 

out,  (by  combining  their  estimates)  that  the  private  wealth 
of  England  increased  fift}'  per  cent,  in  seventeen  years,  at 
which  rate  it  would  double  in  about  twenty-nine  years,  in- 
stead of  sixty,  as  laid  down  by  Mr.  ilcCulloch.  ^tv.  Levi 
calculates  the  aggregate  private  wealth  of  Great  Britain  in 
1858,  at  $29,178,000,000,  being  a  fraction  less  than  the 
guesses  of  the  census  enumerators  at  the  national  wealth  of 
the  United  States,  twelve  years  later,  in  1870.  Can  one 
guess  be  said  to  be  any  nearer  the  fact  than  the  other? 
Ma}'  we  not  be  pardoned  for  treating  all  estimates  as  utter- 
ly fallacious  that  are  not  based  upon  known  facts  and  fig- 
ures? Why  do  we  hear  so  much  of  the  "approximate  cor- 
rectness" of  so  many  statistical  tables,  when,  in  point  of 
fact,  the  primary  data  are  incapable  of  proof,  and  the  aver- 
ages and  conclusions  built  upon  them  arc  all  assumed? 
"Statisticians,"  says  one  of  tlie  fraternity,  "are  generally 
held  to  be  eminently  practical  people;  on  the  contrary, 
they  are  more  given  to  theorizing  than  any  other  class  of 
writers;  and  are  generally  less  expert  in  it." 

In  the  presence  of  such  gross  discrepancies  as  these,  by 
statisticians  of  the  highest  repute,  and  among  such  a 
practical  people  as  the  English,  what  value  can  be  attacliod 
to  the  mere  estimates  of  wealth  which  have  been  attempt- 
ed in  the  census  of  the  United  States?  Tlie  careful  Super- 
intendent of  the  Census  of  1870  and  1880,  the  late  Francis 
A.  Walker,  writes  concerning  it: 

"At  the  best,  these  figures  represent  but  the  opinion  of 
one  man,  or  of  a  body  of  men,  in  the  collection  of  material, 
and  in  llic  oalculalion  of  the  several  elements  of  the  pub- 
lic wealth."  And  in  the  last  Census  Report  for  1890,  the 
results  of  the  so-called  "census  of  wealth,"  are  cautiously 
submitted,  "as  showing  in  a  general  way  a  continuous  in- 
crease in  the  wealth  of  the  nation,  tlie  exact  proportions 
of  which  cannot  be  measured." 


196  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

Now,  what  arc  we  to  conclude  regarding  the  attempt  to 
elevate  to  a  rank  in  statistical  science,  mere  estimates  of 
private  wealth,  for  a  large  portion  of  which,  by  the  state- 
ments of  those  who  make  them,  no  actual  statistical  data 
exist?  And  when  this  is  confessedly  the  case  in  our  own 
countr3%  the  only  one  attempting  the  impossible  task  of 
tabulating  the  wealth  of  the  people,  what  shall  we  say  of 
the  demand  that  is  made  upon  our  credulity  of  accepting 
the  guesses  of  Mr.  Giffen,  or  Mr.  Mulhall,  as  to  British 
wealth?  Are  we  not  justified  in  applying  the  old  Latin 
maxim — "De  non  apparetitibus,  et  de  non  existentihus, 
eadem  est  ratio,"  and  replying  to  those  who  demand  of  us 
to  know  how  much  any  nation  is  worth,  that  it  is  some- 
times an  important  part  of  knowledge  to  know  that  noth- 
ing can  be  known? 

Among  the  literally  innumerable  inquiries  liable  to  be 
made  of  a  librarian,  here  is  one  which  may  give  him  more 
than  a  moment's  pause,  unless  he  is  uncommonly  well 
versed  in  American  political  history — namel}^,  "What  was 
the  Ostend  Manifesto?"  To  a  mind  not  previously  in- 
structed these  two  words  "Ostend  Manifesto",  convey 
absolutely  no  meaning.  You  turn  to  the  standard  ency- 
clopaedias, Appleton's,  Johnson's  Universal,  and  the  Bri- 
tannica,  and  you  find  an  account  of  Ostend,  a  little  Bel- 
gian city,  its  locality,  commerce,  and  population,  but  abso- 
lutely nothing  about  an  Ostend  manifesto.  But  in  J.  N". 
Larned's  "History  for  Eeady  Reference",  a  useful  book 
in  five  volumes,  arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  you  get 
a  clue.  It  refers  you  from  Ostend,  under  letter  0,  to 
Cuba,  where  you  learn  that  this  formidable  Ostend  mani- 
festo was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  paper  drawn  up  and 
signed  by  Messrs.  Buchanan.  Mason,  and  Slidell,  Min- 
isters of  the  United  States  to  Great  Britain,  France,  and 
Spain,  respectively,  v/hen  at  the  watering-place  of  Ostend, 


AIDS   TO    READEES,  197 

in  1854,  importing  that  the  island  of  Cuba  ought  to,  and 
under  certain  circumstances,  must  belong  to  the  United 
States.  Looking  a  little  farther,  as  the  manifesto  is  not 
published  in  Lamed,  you  find  the  text  of  the  document  it- 
self in  Cluskey's  "Political  Text-Book",  of  1860,  and  in 
some  of  the  American  newspapers  of  1854.  This  is  a  case 
of  pursuing  a  once  notorious,  but  more  recently  obscure 
topic,  through  many  works  of  reference  until  found. 

In  many  searches  for  names  of  persons,  it  becomes 
highly  important  to  know  before-hand  where  to  look,  and 
equally  important  where  not  to  look,  for  certain  biogra- 
phies. Thus,  if  you  seek  for  the  name  of  any  living  char- 
acter, it  is  necessary  to  know  that  it  would  be  useless  to 
look  in  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica,  because  the  rule  of 
compilation  of  that  work  purposely  confined  its  sketches 
of  notable  persons  to  those  who  were  already  deceased 
when  its  volumes  appeared.  So  you  save  the  time  of  hunt- 
ing in  at  least  one  conspicuous  work  of  reference,  before 
you  begin,  by  simply  knowing  its  plan. 

In  like  manner,  you  should  know  that  it  is  useless  to 
search  for  two  classes  of  names  in  the  "Dictionary  of  Na- 
tional Biography,"  the  most  copious  biographical  diction- 
ary of  British  personages  ever  published,  begun  in  1885, 
under  Leslie  Stephen,  and  reaching  its  sixty-first  volume, 
and  letter  W  in  1899,  under  the  editorship  of  Sidney  Lee. 
These  two  classes  of  names  are  first,  all  persons  not  Brit- 
ish, that  is,  not  either  English,  Scottish  or  Irish;  and  sec- 
ondly, names  of  British  persons  now  living.  This  is  be- 
cause this  great  work,  like  the  Britannica,  purposely  con- 
fines itself  to  tbc  names  of  notabh^s  deceased;  and,  unlike 
the  Britannica,  it  further  limits  its  l)iographies  to  persons 
connected  by  birth  or  long  residence  with  the  British 
kingdom.  Knowing  this  fact  before-hand,  will  save  any 
time  wasted  in  searching  the  Dictionary  of  National  Biog- 


IIKS  A    BOOK    FOK    ALL    READERS. 

raphy  for  any  persons  now  living,  or  for  any  American  or 
European  names. 

xVnother  caveat  may  properly  be  interposed  as  regards 
searches  for  information  in  that  most  widely  advertised 
and  circulated  of  all  works  of  reference, — the  Encyclo- 
paedia Britannica.  The  plan  of  that  work  was  to  furnish 
the  reading  public  with  the  very  best  treatises  upon  leading 
topics  in  science,  history,  and  literature,  by  eminent 
scholars  and  specialists  in  various  fields.  Pursuant  to  this 
general  scheme,  each  great  subject  has  a  most  elaborate, 
and  sometimes  almost  exhaustive  article — as,  for  example, 
chemistry,  geology,  etc.,  while  the  minor  divisions  of  each 
topic  do  not  appear  in  the  alphabet  at  all,  or  appear  only 
by  cross-reference  to  the  generic  name  under  which  they 
are  treated.  It  results,  that  while  you  find,  for  example, 
a  most  extensive  article  upon  "x\natomy",  filling  a  large 
part  of  a  volume  of  the  Britannica,  you  look  in  vain  in 
the  alphabet  for  such  subjects  as  'Halood,  brain,  cartilage, 
sinew,  tissue,"  etc.,  which  are  described  only  in  the  article 
"Anatomy."  This  method  has  to  be  well  comprehended  in 
order  for  any  reader  to  make  use  of  this  great  Cyclopaedia 
understandingly.  Even  by  the  aid  of  the  English  index 
to  the  work,  issued  by  its  foreign  publishers,  the  reader 
who  is  in  hasty  quest  of  information  in  the  Britannica, 
will  most  frequently  be  baffled  by  not  finding  any  minor 
subject  in  the  index.  The  English  nation,  judged  by  most 
of  the  productions  of  its  literary  and  scientific  men  in  that 
field,  has  small  genius  for  indexing.  It  was  reserved  to 
an  American  to  prepare  and  print  a  thorough  index,  at 
once  alphabetical  and  analytical,  to  this  great  English 
thesaurus  of  information — an  index  ten  times  more  copi- 
ous, and  therefore  more  useful  to  the  student,  than  the 
meagre  one  issued  in  England.  This  index  fills  3,900 
closely  printed  columns,  forming  the  whole  of  volume  25 


AIDS   TO    KEADEES.  199 

of  the  Philadelphia  edition  of  the  work.  By  its  aid,  ever}' 
name  and  every  topic,  treated  am'where  in  this  vast  re- 
pository of  human  knowledge  can  be  traced  out  and  ap- 
propriated; while  without  it,  the  Encyclopaedia  Britan- 
nica,  with  all  its  great  merits,  must  remain  very  much  in 
the  nature  of  a  sealed  book  to  the  reader  who  stands  in 
need  of  immediate  use  and  reference.  We  have  to  take 
it  for  what  it  is — a  collection  of  masterly  treatises,  rather 
than  a  handy  dictionary  of  knowledge. 

The  usefulness  and  success  of  any  library  will  depend 
very  largely  upon  the  sympathy,  so  to  speak,  between  the 
readers  and  the  librarian.  When  this  is  well  established, 
the  rest  is  very  easy.  The  librarian  should  not  seclude 
himself  so  as  to  be  practically  inaccessible  to  readers,  nor 
trust  wholly  to  assistants  to  answer  their  inquiries.  This 
may  be  necessary  in  some  large  libraries,  where  great  and 
diversified  interests  connected  with  the  building  up  of  the 
collection,  the  catalogue  system,  and  the  library  manage- 
ment and  administration  are  all  concerned.  In  the  Bri- 
tish Museum  Lil)rary,  no  one  ever  sees  the  Principal  Libra- 
rian; even  the  next  officer,  who  is  called  the  keeper  of  the 
printed  books,  is  not  usually  visible  in  the  reading-room  at 
all. 

A  librarian  who  is  really  desirous  of  doing  the  greatest 
good  to  the  greatest  number  of  people,  will  be  not  only 
willing,  but  anxious  to  answer  inquiries,  even  tliougli  they 
may  appear  to  him  trivial  and  unimportant.  Still,  he 
should  also  economise  time  by  cultivating  the  habit  of 
putting  his  answers  into  the  fewest  and  plainest  words. 

TIow  far  the  librarian  should  place  himself  in  direct 
communication  with  readers,  must  depend  largely  upon 
the  extent  of  the  li])rary,  the  labor  required  in  managing 
its  various  dcpnrtmonts,  the  nmount  and  vahic  of  assist- 
ance at  his  command,  and   ii])r)n   various   otlior  circum- 


200 


A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    KEADKKS. 


stances,  depending  upon  the  different  conditions  with  dif- 
ferent librarians.  But  it  may  be  laid  down  as  a  safe  gen- 
eral rule,  that  the  librarian  should  hold  himself  perpet- 
ually as  a  public  servant,  ready  and  anxious  to  answer  in 
some  way,  all  inquiries  tliat  may  come  to  him.  Thus, 
and  thus  only,  can  he  make  himself,  and  the  collection  of 
books  under  his  charge,  useful  in  the  highest  degree  to 
the  public.  He  will  not  indeed,  in  any  extensive  library, 
find  it  convenient,  or  even  possible,  to  answer  all  inquiries 
in  person;  but  he  should  always  be  ready  to  enable  his 
assistants  to  answer  them,  by  his  superior  knowledge  as  to 
the  best  sources  of  information,  whenever  they  fail  to  trace 
out  what  is  wanted.  In  any  small  library,  he  should  be 
always  accessible,  at  or  near  the  place  where  people  are 
accustomed  to  have  their  wants  for  books  or  information 
supplied:  and  the  public  resorting  to  the  library  will  thus 
come  not  only  to  rely  upon  him  for  aid  in  their  intellectual 
researches,  but  to  appreciate  and  respect  him  for  the  wide 
extent  of  his  knowledge,  and  to  consider  him,  in  time,  an 
indispensable  guide,  if  not  leader,  in  the  community.  His 
reputation,  in  fact,  will  depend  upon  the  extent  to  which 
he  has  been  able  to  help  others,  as  well  as  upon  the  num- 
ber of  people  whom  he  has  thus  aided. 

In  a  very  high  sense,  the  true  librarian  is  an  educator; 
his  school  is  as  large  as  the  town  in  which  his  library  is 
situated.  Very  few  people  in  that  town  know  what  he  is 
always  presumed  to  know, — namely — to  what  books  to  go 
to  get  answers  to  the  questions  they  want  answered.  In 
supplying  continually  the  means  of  answering  these  count- 
less questions,  the  library  becomes  actually  a  popular  uni- 
versity, in  which  the  librarian  is  the  professor,  the  tuition 
is  free,  and  the  course  is  optional,  both  as  to  study  and  as 
to  time. 

Most  persons  who  come  to  make  any  investigation  in  a 


AIDS   TO    READERS.  201 

public  library  require  a  good  deal  of  assistance.  For  ex- 
ample, a  reader  is  in  need  of  the  latest  information  as  to 
the  amount  of  steel  and  iron  made  in  this  country,  and 
what  State  produces  these  important  manufactures.  He 
has  not  the  faintest  idea  where  to  look  for  the  information, 
except  that  it  may  be  in  the  census,  but  the  census  is  nine 
years  old,  and  he  wants  recent  facts.  It  is  vain  to  turn 
him  over  to  the  cyclopaedias,  for  there  is  not  one  whose 
information  upon  such  statistics  comes  anywhere  near  up 
to  date.  You  have  to  put  before  him  a  pamphlet  annual, 
published  by  the  American  Iron  and  Steel  Association, 
which  contains  exactly  what  he  wants;  and  no  other  source 
of  information  does  contain  it. 

Another  inquirer  seeks  to  know  how  to  treat  some  dis- 
ease. In  such  cases,  of  course,  the  librarian  should  not 
go  farther  than  to  put  before  the  reader  a  work  on  domes- 
tic medicine,  for  it  is  not  his  function  to  deal  in  recom- 
mendations of  this,  that,  or  the  other  method  of  treatment, 
any  more  than  it  is  to  give  legal  opinions,  if  asked — 
although  he  may  have  studied  law.  So,  if  the  reader 
wants  to  know  about  the  religious  tenets  of  the  Presby- 
terians, or  the  Mormons,  or  the  Buddhists,  or  the  doctrines 
of  the  Catholic  Churcli,  and  asks  the  librarian's  opinion 
about  any  controverted  question  of  belief,  he  is  to  be 
answered  only  by  the  statement  that  the  library  is  there 
1o  supply  information,  not  opinions,  and  then  pointed  to 
the  religious  cyclopaedias,  whicli  give  full  summaries  of  all 
the  sects. 

He  may  frequently  be  asked  for  information  on  a  sub- 
ject which  he  knows  nothing  al)out;  and  T  have  heard  a 
librarian  declare,  that  he  often  found  himself  able  to  give 
fuller  and  better  information  on  a  siibject  of  Avhich  he  was 
previously  ignorant,  than  upon  one  he  had  long  boon 
familiar  with.  The  reason  was  that  in  the  one  case  ho  liail 
freshly  looked  up  iill  the  jiullioritios,  and  put  iliom  before 


202  A    TJOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

the  reader,  while  in  the  other,  giving  the  references  from 
a  memory,  more  or  less  imperfect,  he  had  overlooked  some 
of  the  most  important  means  of  information. 

The  constant  exercise  of  the  habit  of  supplying  helps 
to  readers  is  a  splendid  intellectual  school  for  the  librarian 
himself.  Through  it,  his  memory  is  quickened  and  conse- 
quently improved,  (as  every  faculty  is  by  use)  his  habits 
of  mental  classification  and  analysis  are  formed  or 
strengthened,  and  his  mind  is  kept  on  the  alert  to  utilize 
the  whole  arsenal  of  the  knowledge  he  has  already  ac- 
quired, or  to  acquire  new  knowledge. 

Another  very  important  benefit  derived  by  the  librarian 
from  his  constantly  recurring  attention  to  the  calls  of 
readers  for  aid,  is  the  suggestion  thereby  furnished  of  the 
deficiencies  in  the  collection  in  his  charge.  This  will  be 
a  continual  reminder  to  him,  of  what  he  most  needs, 
namely,  how  to  equip  the  library  with  the  best  and  most 
recent  sources  of  information  in  every  field  of  inquiry. 
"Whether  the  library  be  a  large  or  a  small  one,  its  deficien- 
cies in  some  directions  are  sure  to  be  very  considerable: 
and  these  gaps  are  more  conspiciously  revealed  in  tryin;:: 
to  supply  readers  with  the  means  of  making  what  may  be 
termed  an  exhaustive  research  upon  a  given  subject,  than 
in  any  other  way.  You  find,  for  example,  in  looking  up 
your  authorities  in  what  has  come  to  be  called  Egyptology', 
that  while  you  have  Wilkinson's  Ancient  Eg}-pt,  and  Lane's 
]\[odern  Eg}^tians,  both  of  which  are  very  valuable  works, 
you  have  not  the  more  modern  books  of  Brugsch-Bey,  or 
of  A.  H.  Sayce,  or  of  Maspero.  You  may  also  find  out,  by 
mingling  freely  with  a  good  part  of  the  readers,  what  sub- 
jects are  most  frequently  looked  into  or  inquired  about, 
and  you  can  thus  secure  valuable  information  as  to  the 
directions  in  which  the  library  most  needs  strengthening. 
Thus,  in  a  community  largely  made  up  of  people  connected 


AIDS   TO    READERS.  203 

with  manufacturing  interests,  the  inquiries  are  liable  to  be 

much  concerned  with  the  mechanic  arts;  and  you  would 
therefore  naturally  seek  to  acquire  a  liberal  selection  of 
the  best  and  latest  works  in  technical  science,  or  the  use- 
ful arts.  If  you  have,  on  the  other  hand,  very  few  in- 
quiries, indeed,  for  theological  works,  you  take  it  as  some 
evidence  that  that  department  of  the  collection  needs  little 
enlargement,  and  you  may  devote  your  funds  in  other  di- 
rections. Then  too,  the  great  value  of  popularising  the 
library  by  the  liearty  interest  shown  by  the  librarian  in 
the  wants  of  the  people  can  liardly  be  over-rated.  This 
interest,  being  a  perennial  one,  and  continued  through  a 
series  of  years,  the  number  of  citizens  and  their  families 
assisted  will  be  constantly  on  the  increase,  and  the  public 
opinion  of  the  town  will  come  in  time,  to  regard  the  library 
as  a  great  popular  necessity.  Hence,  if  it  is  an  institution 
supported  in  whole  or  in  part  by  town  or  municipal  funds, 
its  claims  to  liberal  consideration  will  be  immeasurably 
strengthened.  If  an  enlargement  of  room  for  the  books, 
or  even  a  new  library  building  comes  to  be  needed,  its 
chances  for  securing  the  funds  requisite  will  be  excellent. 
If  a  more  liberal  supply  of  new  books,  or  an  extended  range 
of  older  ones  of  great  value  is  reported  by  the  librarian 
as  wanted  to  increase  the  usefulness  of  the  library,  the 
authorities  will  more  cheerfully  consider  the  claim.  And 
if  it  is  proposed  that  additional  and  competent  assistance 
shall  be  given  to  the  librarian,  or  that  he  should  be  more 
liberally  compensated  for  his  highly  useful  and  important 
labors,  that,  too,  may  be  accomplished — especially  if  it  has 
come  to  be  recognized  that  by  his  wide  knowledge,  and 
skilful  management  and  helpful  devotion  to  the  service  of 
the  reading  public,  he  has  rendered  himself  indispensable. 
In  the  supply  of  iiiff)rmation  desired  by  readers,  it  is  bet- 
[f'T  to  leave  thcni  to  I  heir  own  search,  once  ycni  have  put 


204  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

before  them  the  proper  authorities,  than  to  spend  your 
time  in  turning  for  them  to  the  volume  and  page.  This, 
for  two  reasons — first,  it  leaves  your  own  time  free  to  help 
other  readers,  or  to  attend  to  the  ever-waiting  library 
work;  and,  secondly,  it  induces  habits  of  research  and 
self-help  on  the  part  of  the  reader.  It  is  enough  for  the 
librarian  to  act  as  an  intelligent  guide-post,  to  point  the 
way;  to  travel  the  road  is  the  business  of  the  reader  him- 
self. Therefore,  let  the  visitor  in  quest  of  a  quotation, 
look  it  out  in  the  index  of  the  volumes  you  put  before  him. 
If  he  fails  to  find  it,  it  will  then  be  time  for  you  to  inter- 
vene, and  lend  the  aid  of  your  more  practiced  eye,  and 
superior  knowledge  of  how  to  search;  or  else,  let  the 
reader  look  for  it  in  some  more  copious  anthology,  which 
you  may  put  before  him.  There  are  multitudes  of  in- 
quiries for  the  authors  of  poems,  which  are  in  no  sense 
"familiar  quotations,"  nor  even  select  quotations,  but 
which  are  merely  common-place  sentiments  expressed  in 
language  quite  unpoetic, — and  not  the  work  of  any  notable 
writer  at  all.  They  are  either  the  production  of  some 
utterly  obscure  author  of  a  volume  of  verse,  quite  unknown 
to  fame,  or,  still  more  probably,  the  half-remembered 
verses  of  some  anonymous  contributor  to  the  poet's  corner 
of  the  newspaper  or  magazine.  In  such  cases,  where  you 
see  no  poetic  beauty  or  imaginative  power  in  the  lines,  it 
is  well  to  inform  the  inquirer  at  once  that  you  do  not 
think  them  the  production  of  any  noted  writer,  and  thus 
end  the  fruitless  search  for  memorizing  what  is  not  at  all 
memorable.  "What  may  strike  uncultivated  readers  as 
beautiful,  may  be  set  down  as  trash,  by  a  mind  that  has 
been  fed  upon  the  masterpieces  of  poetry.  Not  that  the 
librarian  is  to  assume  the  air  of  an  oracle  or  a  censor, 
(something  to  be  in  all  circumstances  avoided)  or  to  pro- 
nounce positive  judgment  upon  what  is  submitted:  he 


AIDS    TO    READERS.  205 

should  inform  any  admiring  reader  of  a  passage  not 
referred  to  in  any  of  the  anthologies,  and  not  possessing 
apparent  poetic  merit,  that  he  believes  the  author  is  un- 
known to  fame.  That  should  be  sufficient  for  any  reason- 
ably disposed  reader,  who,  after  search  duly  completed, 
will  go  away  answered,  if  not  satisfied. 

I  gave  some  instances  of  the  singular  variety  of  ques- 
tions asked  of  a  librarian.  Let  me  add  one,  reported  by 
Mr.  Robert  Harrison,  of  the  London  Library,  as  asked  of 
him  by  ^Yilliam  M.  Thackeray.  The  distinguished  author 
of  Esmond  and  The  Virginians  wanted  a  book  that  would 
tell  of  General  Wolfe,  the  hero  of  Quebec.  "I  don't  want  to 
know  about  his  battles",  said  the  novelist.  "I  can  get 
all  that  from  the  histories.  I  want  something  that  will 
tell  me  the  color  of  the  breeches  he  wore."  After  due 
search,  the  librarian  was  obliged  to  confess  that  there  was 
no  such  book. 

A  librarian  is  likely  to  be  constantly  in  a  position  to  aid 
the  uninformed  reader  how  to  use  the  books  of  reference 
which  every  public  library  contains.  The  young  person 
who  is  new  to  the  habit  of  investigation,  or  the  adult  wlio 
has  never  learned  the  method  of  finding  things,  needs  to 
be  shown  how  to  use  even  so  simple  a  thing  as  an  index. 
Do  not  be  impatient  with  his  ignorance,  although  you  may 
find  him  fumbling  over  the  pages  in  the  body  of  the  book 
in  vain,  to  find  what  you,  with  your  acquired  knowledge 
of  indexes  and  their  use,  can  find  in  half  a  minute  or  less. 
Practice  alone  can  make  one  perfect  in  the  art  of  search 
and  speedy  finding.  The  tyro  who  tries  your  patience  this 
year,  will  very  likely  become  an  expert  reader  the  next. 
Wide  as  is  the  domain  of  ignorance,  there  are  few  among 
those  intelligent  enough  to  resort  to  a  library  at  all,  who 
cannot  learn.  You  will  find  some  wlio  come  to  the  library 
60  unskilled,  that  they  will  turn  over  the  leaves  even  of 


20G  THE    ART    OF    READTXCx. 

an  index,  in  a  blind,  hap-hazard  way,  evidently  at  a  loss 
how  to  use  it.  These  must  be  instructed  first,  that  the  in- 
dex is  arranged  Just  like  a  dictionary,  in  the  alphabetical 
order  of  the  names  or  subjects  treated,  and  secondly,  that 
after  finding  the  word  they  seek  in  it,  they  must  turn  to 
the  page  indicated  by  the  figure  attached  to  that  word. 
This  is  the  very  primer  of  learning  in  the  use  of  a  library, 
but  the  library  in  any  town,  used  as  it  is  by  many  boys 
and  girls  of  all  ages,  has  to  be  a  primary  school  for  be- 
ginners, as  well  as  a  university  for  advanced  students. 
Despise  not  the  day  of  small  things,  however  you  may  find 
it  more  agreeable  to  be  occupied  with  great  ones. 

On  the  other  hand,  you  will  find  at  the  other  extreme 
of  intelligence,  among  your  clientage  of  readers,  those  who 
are  completely  familiar  with  books  and  their  uses.  There 
are  some  readers  frequenting  public  libraries,  who  not  only 
do  not  need  assistance  themselves,  but  who  are  fully  com- 
petent to  instruct  the  librarian.  In  meeting  the  calls  of 
such  skilled  readers,  who  always  know  what  they  require, 
it  is  never  good  policy  to  obtrude  advice  or  suggestion, 
but  simply  to  supply  what  they  call  for.  You  will  readily 
recognize  and  discriminate  such  experts  from  the  mass  of 
readers,  if  you  have  good  discernment.  Sometimes  they 
are  quite  as  sensitive  as  they  are  intelligent,  and  it  may 
annoy  them  to  have  offered  them  books  they  do  not  want, 
in  the  absence  of  what  they  require.  An  officious,  or 
super-serviceable  librarian  or  assistant,  may  sometimes 
prejudice  such  a  reader  by  proffering  help  which  he  does 
not  want,  instead  of  waiting  for  his  own  call  or  occasion. 

Let  us  look  at  a  few  examples  of  the  numerous  calls  at 
a  popular  library.  For  example,  a  reader  asks  to  see  a 
book,  giving  an  account  of  the  marriage  of  the  Adriatic. 
You  know  that  this  concerns  the  history  of  Venice  and  its 
Doges,  and  you  turn  to  various  books  on  Venice,  and  its 


AIDS   TO    EEADEBS.  207 

history,  until  you  find  a  description  of  the  strange  festival. 
It  may  be,  and  probably  is  the  case,  that  the  books,  like 
most  descriptive  works  and  narratives  of  travellers,  are 
without  index.  This  is  a  disability  in  the  use  of  books 
which  you  must  continually  encounter,  since  multitudes 
of  volumes,  old  and  new,  are  sent  out  without  a  vestige  of 
an  index  to  their  contents.  Some  writers  have  urged  that 
a  law  should  be  made  refusing  copyright  to  the  author  of 
any  book  who  failed  to  provide  it  with  an  index;  a  re- 
quirement highly  desirable,  but  also  highly  impracticable. 
Yet  3'ou  will  find  in  most  books,  a  division  of  the  contents 
into  chapters,  and  in  the  beginning  of  the  volume  a  table 
of  the  contents  of  each  chapter,  giving  its  leading  topics. 
This  is  a  substitute  for  an  index,  although  (not  being  ar- 
ranged in  alphabetical  order)  it  is  far  less  useful  than  that 
time-saving  aid  to  research.  But  you  have  to  learn  to 
take  advantage  of  even  poor  and  inferior  helps,  when  you 
cannot  have  the  best,  (as  a  poor  guide  is  better  than  no 
guide  at  all,  unless  it  misguides,)  and  so  you  run  your  eye 
quickly  through  the  table  of  contents  to  find  what  you 
seek.  In  the  case  supposed,  of  the  ceremony  at  Venice, 
you  will  be  aided  in  the  search  by  having  in  mind  that 
the  catch-words  involved  are  "Adriatic,"  and  "Doge,"  and 
as  these  begin  with  capital  letters,  which  stand  out,  as  it 
were,  from  the  monotonous  "lower  case"  type  (as  printers 
call  all  the  letters  that  are  not  capitals)  your  search  will 
be  much  abridged  by  omitting  to  read  through  all  the 
sentences  of  your  table  of  contents,  and  seizing  only  the 
passage  or  passages  where  "Doge,"  or  "Adriatic,"  may 
occur. 

This  remark  will  apply  as  well  to  numerous  other 
searches  which  you  will  have  to  make  in  Ijooks.  The  table 
of  contents  will  commonly  take  note  of  all  the  more  salient 
topics  that  are  treated  in  the  book,  whether  of  persons,  ol: 


20S  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

l^laces,  of  notable  scenes,  historic  events,  etc.,  and  so  will 
aid  you  in  finding  what  you  seek.  In  the  last  resort  only, 
in  the  books  whose  table  of  contents  fails  you,  will  you 
have  to  turn  the  leaves  page  by  page,  which,  while  not 
equivalent  to  reading  the  book  through,  is  a  time-consum- 
ing business. 

Of  course  no  librarian  can  devote  hours  of  his  precious 
time  to  searches  in  such  detail  for  readers.  They  are  to 
be  supplied  with  the  books  likely  to  contain  what  they  are 
in  search  of,  and  left  to  seek  it  in  their  own  way,  with 
such  hints  and  cautions  as  to  saving  time  by  taking  the 
shortest  road,  as  the  experience  of  the  librarian  enables 
him  to  supply.  The  suggestions  here  given  are  not  needed 
by  scholarly  readers,  but  are  the  fruits  of  long  experience 
in  searching  books  for  what  they  contain. 

Again,  let  us  take  the  case  of  a  call  by  a  reader  who  hap- 
pens to  be  a  decorative  painter,  for  patterns  which  may 
furnish  him  hints  in  finishing  an  interior  of  a  house.  Of 
course  he  wants  color — that  is,  not  theory  only,  but  illus- 
tration, or  practical  examples.  So  you  put  before  him 
Owen  Jones's  Grammar  of  Ornament,  or  Eacinet's  UOrnc- 
ment  polychrome,  both  illustrated  with  many  beautiful  de- 
signs in  color,  which  he  is  delighted  to  find. 

Another  reader  is  anxious  to  see  a  picture  of  "St.  George 
and  the  Dragon."  If  you  have  the  "Museum  of  Painting 
and  Sculpture,"  in  17  volumes,  or  Champlin's  "Cyclopaedia 
of  Painters  and  Painting,"  a  dictionary  of  art  in  four  vol- 
umes, you  find  it  in  either  work,  in  the  alphabet,  under 
"St.  George,"  and  his  want  is  satisfied. 

A  youngster  wants  to  know  how  to  build  a  boat,  and 
you  find  him  Folkard  on  Boats,  or  Frazar's  Sail-boats, 
which  describe  and  figure  various  styles  of  water-craft. 

Perhaps  an  inquisitive  reader  wants  to  find  out  all  about 
the  families  of  the  various  languages,  and  what  is  known 


AIDS   TO    READERS.  209 

of  their  origin,  and  you  supply  him  with  "\V.  D.  Whitney's 
"Life  and  Growth  of  Language/'  or  Max  Miiller's  "Science 
of  Language,"  either  of  which  furnishes  full  information. 

Another  inquirer  seeks  for  information  about  the  aggre- 
gate debts  of  nations.  You  give  him  the  great  quarto 
volume  of  the  last  Census  on  Wealth  and  Indebtedness,  or 
for  still  later  information  the  Statesman's  Year  Book  for 
1899,  or  the  Almanach  de  Gotha  for  the  current  year,  both 
of  which  contain  the  comparative  debts  of  nations  at  the 
latest  dates. 

The  inquirer  who  seeks  to  know  the  rates  of  wages  paid 
for  all  kinds  of  labor  in  a  series  of  several  3'ears,  can  be 
supplied  with  the  elaborate  Eeport  on  Labor  and  Wages 
for  fift3"-two  years,  published  by  the  U.  S.  Government  in 
1893,  in  four  volumes. 

Another  reader  wishes,  we  Avill  suppose,  to  hunt  up  the 
drawings  of  all  patents  that  have  been  issued  on  type- 
writers, and  type-writing  inventions.  You  put  before 
him  the  many  indexes  to  the  Patent  Specifications  and 
Patent  Office  Gazette;  he  makes  out  from  these  his  list  of 
volumes  wanted,  which  are  at  once  supplied,  and  he  falls 
to  work  on  his  long,  but  to  him  interesting  job. 

A  reader  who  has  seen  in  the  library  or  elsewhere  a  book 
he  would  much  like  to  own,  but  cannot  find  a  copy  in  town, 
wants  to  know  what  it  will  cost :  you  turn  to  your  Ameri- 
can or  foreign  catalogue,  covering  the  year  of  publication, 
and  give  him  not  only  the  price,  but  the  publisher's  name 
from  whom  he  can  order  it,  and  he  goes  on  his  way  re- 
joicing. 

An  artist  engaged  upon  a  painting  in  wliieli  he  wislies 
to  introduce  a  deer,  or  a  group  of  rabbits,  or  an  American 
eagle,  or  a  peacock,  asks  for  an  accunitc  ])icture  of  the 
bird  or  animal  wanted.     You  put  before  him  J.  S.  Kings- 


210  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

ley's  Riverside  Natural  History,  in  six  volumes,  and  his  de- 
sire is  satisfied. 

In  dealing  with  books  of  reference,  there  will  often  be 
found  very  important  discrepancies  of  statement,  different 
works  giving  different  dates,  for  example,  for  the  same 
event  in  history  or  biography. 

Next  to  a  bible  and  a  dictionary  of  language,  there  is  no 
book,  perhaps,  more  common  than  a  biographical  diction- 
ary. Our  interest  in  our  fellow-men  is  perennial;  and  we 
seek  to  know  not  only  their  characteristics,  and  the  dis- 
tinguishing events  of  their  lives,  but  also  the  time  of  their 
birth  into  the  world  and  their  exit  from  it.  This  is  a 
species  of  statistics  upon  which  one  naturally  expects  cer- 
tainty, since  no  person  eminent  enough  to  be  recorded  at 
all  is  likely  to  have  the  epoch  of  his  death,  at  least,  unre- 
marked. Yet  the  seeker  after  exact  information  in  the 
biographical  dictionaries  will  find,  if  he  extends  his  quest 
among  various  authorities,  that  he  is  afloat  on  a  sea  of  un- 
certainties. Not  only  can  he  not  find  out  the  date  of  de- 
cease of  some  famous  navigators,  like  Sir  John  Franklin 
and  La  Perouse,  who  sailed  into  unexplored  regions  of  the 
globe,  and  were  never  heard  of  more,  but  the  men  who 
died  at  home,  in  the  midst  of  friends  and  families,  are  fre- 
quently recorded  as  deceased  at  dates  so  discrepant  that  no 
ingenuity  can  reconcile  them. 

In  Haydn's  Dictionary  of  Dates,  Sir  Henry  Havelock  was 
said  to  have  died  November  25th,  1857,  while  Maunder's 
Treasury  of  Biography  gives  November  21st,  the  London 
Almanac,  November  27th,  and  the  Life  of  Havelock,  by 
his  brother-in-law,  November  24th.  Here  are  four  dis- 
tinct dates  of  death  given,  by  authorities  apparently  equal- 
ly accredited,  to  a  celebrated  general,  who  died  within 
forty  years  of  our  own  time.  Of  the  death  of  the  notori- 
ous Robespierre,  guillotined  in  1794,  we  find  in  Chalmers' 


AIDS   TO    HEADERS.  211 

Biographical  Dictionary  that  he  died  July  10th,  in  Rees's 
Cyclopaedia,  July  28th,  and  in  Alison's  History  of  Europe, 
July  29th.  Doubtless  it  is  some  comfort  to  reflect,  in 
view  of  his  many  crimes,  that  the  bloody  tyrant  of  the 
Jacobins  is  really  dead,  irrespective  of  the  date,  about 
which  biographers  may  dispute.  Of  the  English  mechani- 
cian Joseph  Bramah,  inventor  of  the  Bramah  lock,  we 
learn  from  the  English  Cyclopaedia,  that  he  died  in  181-i, 
and  from  Rose's  Biographical  Dictionary,  that  lie  died  in 
1815. 

Xow,  although  a  large  share  of  the  errors  and  discrepan- 
cies that  abound  in  biographical  dictionaries  and  other 
books  of  reference  may  be  accounted  for  by  misprints, 
others  ])y  reckoning  old  style  instead  of  new,  and  many 
more  by  carelessness  of  writers  and  transcribers,  it  is  plain 
that  all  the  variations  cannot  be  thus  accounted  for. 
Nothing  is  more  common  in  printing  oflfices  than  to  find  a 
figure  6  inverted  serving  as  a  9,  a  5  for  a  3,  or  a  3  for  an 
8,  while  8,  9,  and  0,  are  frequently  interchanged.  In  such 
cases,  a  keen-eyed  proof-reader  may  not  always  be  present 
to  prevent  the  falsification  of  history;  and  it  is  a  fact,  not 
sufficiently  recognized,  that  to  the  untiring  vigilance,  in- 
tolligonco,  and  hard,  conscientious  labors  of  proof-readers, 
the  world  owes  a  deeper  debt  of  gratitude  than  it  does  to 
many  a  famous  maker  of  books.  It  is  easy  enough  to  make 
])ooks.  Heaven  knows,  but  to  make  them  correct,  "Tlic 
Jnhor,  hoc  opus  csl.''' 

A  high  autliority  in  encyclopaedical  lore  tells  us  that 
the  best  accredited  authorities  are  at  odds  with  regard  to 
llic  birth  or  death  of  iivlividuals  in  the  enormous  ratio  of 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  whole  nuinlicr 
in  the  biographical  dictionaries.  The  Portuguese  ])oet 
Camoens  is  said  by  some  authorities  to  have  been  born  in 
lol7,  and  by  others  in  1525;  a  discrepancy  of  eight  years. 


212  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    KKADERS. 

Chateaubriand  is  declared  by  the  English  Cyclopaedia  to 
have  been  born  September  4th,  1768;  September  14th, 
1768,  by  the  Nouvelle  Biographic  generale  of  Dr.  Hoefer; 
and  September  4th,  1769,  by  the  Conversations-Lexicon. 
Of  course  it  is  clear  that  all  these  authorities  cannot  be 
right;  but  which  of  the  three  is  so,  is  matter  of  extreme 
doubt,  leaving  the  student  of  facts  perplexed  and  uncer- 
tain at  the  very  point  where  certainty  is  not  only  most 
important,  but  most  confidently  expected. 

Of  another  kind  are  the  errors  that  sometimes  creep 
into  works  of  reference  of  high  credit,  by  accepting  too 
confidently  statements  publicly  made.  In  one  edition  of 
the  Dictionary  of  Congress  a  certain  honorable  member 
from  Pennsylvania,  in  uncommonly  robust  health,  was 
astonished  to  find  himself  recorded  as  having  died  of  the 
National  Hotel  disease,  contracted  at  Washington  in  1856. 
In  this  case,  the  editor  of  the  work  was  a  victim  of  too 
much  confidence  in  the  newspapers.  In  the  Congressional 
Directory,  where  brief  biographies  of  Congressmen  are 
given,  one  distinguished  member  was  printed  as  having 
been  elected  to  Congress  at  a  time  which,  taken  in  connec- 
tion with  his  birth-date  in  the  same  paragraph,  made  him 
precisely  one  year  old  when  he  took  his  seat  in  Congress. 

Even  in  reporting  the  contents  of  public  and  private 
libraries,  exaggeration  holds  sway.  The  library  of  George 
the  Fourth,  inherited  by  that  graceless  ignoramus  from  a 
book-collecting  father,  and  presented  to  the  British  nation 
with  ostentatious  liberality  only  after  he  had  failed  to  sell 
it  to  Russia,  was  said  in  the  publications  of  those  times  to 
contain  about  120,000  volumes.  But  an  actual  enumera- 
tion when  the  books  were  lodged  in  the  King's  library  at 
the  British  Museum,  where  they  have  ever  since  remained, 
showed  that  there  were  only  65,250  volumes,  being  but 
little  more  than  half  the  reported  number.     Many  libra- 


AIDS    TO    READERS.  213 

ries,  public  and  private,  are  equally  over-estimated.  It  is 
so  much  easier  to  guess  than  to  count,  and  the  stern  test 
of  arithmetic  is  too  seldom  applied,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  100,000  volumes  can  easily  be  counted  in  a  day 
by  a  single  person,  and  so  on  in  the  same  proportion. 
Here,  as  in  the  statistics  of  population,  the  same  proverb 
liolds  good,  that  the  unknown  is  always  the  magnificent, 
and  on  the  surface  of  the  globe  we  inhabit,  the  unexplored 
country  is  always  the  most  marvellous,  since  the  world  be- 
gan. 

These  discrepancies  in  authorities,  and  exaggerations  of 
writers,  are  not  referred  to  for  the  purpose  of  casting  doubt 
upon  all  published  history,  but  only  to  point  out  that  we 
cannot  trust  implicitly  to  what  we  find  in  books.  Bearing 
in  mind  always,  that  accuracy  is  perhaps  the  rarest  of 
human  qualities,  we  should  hold  our  Judgment  in  reserve 
upon  controverted  statements,  trusting  no  writer  implicit- 
\y,  unless  sustained  by  original  authorities.  When  asked 
to  recommend  the  best  book  upon  any  subject,  do  not  too 
confidently  assert  the  merits  of  the  one  you  may  think  the 
best,  but  say  simply  that  it  is  well  accredited,  or  very 
popular.  It  is  not  always  safe  to  recommend  l)ooks,  and 
the  librarian  does  well  to  speak  with  proper  reservations  as 
to  most  of  them,  and  to  recommend  only  what  are  well 
known  to  him  to  be  good,  by  his  own  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  them,  or,  which  is  the  surest  test  of  all,  by  the 
verdicts  of  critical  reviews,  or  by  the  constant  reprinting 
of  them  in  many  successive  years. 

It  was  the  well-nigh  unanimous  report  at  a  Conference 
of  American  librarians,  upon  the  subject  of  "aids  to  read- 
ers", that  "nothing  can  take  the  place  of  an  intelligent  and 
obliging  assistant  at  the  desk."  This  was  after  a  thorougli 
canvass  of  the  relative  merits  of  thevarious  reference  l)()oks 
and  helps  to  readers  in  book  form.     Not  only  the  casual 


214  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

reader,  and  the  reader  with  a  purpose  may  be  constantly 
aided  by  the  librarian's  knowledge,  and  larger  experience 
in  the  art  of  finding  things,  but  teachers  in  the  scliools, 
clergymen  preparing  discourses,  and  every  one  seeking  to 
know  anything,  should  I'md  the  ]i])rarian  a  living  catalogue. 
There  is  nothing  so  effective  in  the  world  as  individual 
effort. 


CHAPTER    11. 
Access  to  Libeary  Shelves. 

The  matter  of  free  or  unrestricted  access  to  the  books 
on  the  shelves  is  a  vexed  question  in  libraries.  Open  and 
unprotected  shelves,  either  in  alcoves  or  the  main  reading 
room,  while  they  appear  to  be  a  l)oon  to  readers,  who  can 
thus  browse  at  will  through  the  literary  pastures,  and  turn 
over  volumes  at  their  pleasure,  furnish  by  no  means  good 
security  for  the  books.  Some  of  the  smaller  public  libra- 
ries protect  their  books  from  access  by  glass  doors  in  front 
of  the  shelves,  which  form  also  a  partial  protection  against 
dust.  Others  again,  use  wire  screen  doors,  opened,  like 
the  others,  by  lock  and  key  when  books  are  wanted.  Both 
of  these  arrangements  give  to  readers  the  advantage  of 
reading  the  titles  on  the  backs  of  most  of  the  books  in  the 
library,  while  protecting  them  from  being  handled,  dis- 
arranged, or  removed.  But  they  are  also  open  to  the  ob- 
jection that  tliey  obstruct  the  prompt  service  of  the  books, 
by  just  the  amount  of  time  it  takes  to  open  the  doors  or 
screens,  and  close  them  again.  This  trouble  and  delay 
may  overbalance  the  supposed  advantages.  Certainly  they 
must  do  so  in  all  large  libraries,  where  the  frequentation 
is  great,  and  where  every  moment's  delay  in  the  book  ser- 
vice works  disadvantage  to  numerous  readers.  While  pri- 
vate libraries,  or  quite  small  public  ones,  can  indulge  in 
the  luxury  of  glass  cases,  no  extensive  collection  can  be 
managed  with  the  requisite  promptitude  under  their  ob- 
structions. 

But  liow  to  avoid  the  indiscriminate  and  usually  care- 
less handling  of  the  books  on  shelves,  by  the  people  fre- 

(315) 


216  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

quenting  the  library,  and  still  extend  to  readers  prompt 
and  full  service  of  all  the  books  they  wish  to  consult  on  any 
subject,  is  a  problem.  In  a  few  of  the  great  libraries, 
where  that  modern  improvement,  the  stack  system,  pre- 
vails, the  difficulty  is  solved  by  the  storing  of  the  books  in 
the  outside  repositories,  or  iron  book-stacks  to  which  read- 
ers are  not  admitted.  In  this  case  the  reading  room  is 
only  for  books  in  use  by  those  frequenting  it,  or  is  supplied 
with  a  selection  of  reference  books  simply,  the  stacks  being 
drawn  upon  for  all  the  rest.  This  of  course  secures  the 
books  both  from  misplacement  and  from  pillage. 

In  smaller  libraries  which  have  no  stack  system  (and 
this  includes  by  far  the  greater  number)  a  variety  of  treat- 
ment prevails.  Most  of  them  are  unprovided  with  any  ef- 
fective means  of  guarding  the  books  on  the  shelves  from 
handling.  The  result  is  great  insecurity,  and  inevitable 
misplacement  of  books,  amounting  often  to  confusion  and 
chaos  on  the  shelves,  unless  corrected  by  much  daily  re- 
arrangement by  the  librarian  or  assistants.  This  con- 
sumes much  valuable  time,  which  ought  to  be  devoted  to 
other  pressing  duties. 

One  remedy  is  to  guard  the  shelves  by  a  railing  of  some 
kind,  which  cannot  be  passed,  except  at  the  gates  or  pas- 
sage-ways provided  for  the  attendants.  This  simple  pro- 
vision will  protect  the  orderly  arrangement  as  well  as  the 
safety  of  the  library — two  objects  both  of  cardinal  import- 
ance. Absolutely  free  access  to  all  the  shelves  means, 
sooner  or  later,  loss  to  the  library.  And  the  books  most 
certain  to  be  taken  or  mutilated  are  those  which  it  is  cost- 
ly, or  difficult,  or  in  some  cases,  impossible  to  replace. 
The  chances  of  abstracting  engravings  from  books  are 
much  greater  in  the  shadow  of  the  shelves,  than  in  the 
open  reading-room,  under  the  eyes  of  many.  In  any  li- 
brary but  the  smaller  ones,  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of 


ACCESS  TO  LIBRARY  SHELVES.  217 

unrestricted  handling  of  all  the  books  by  the  public  will 
be  developed  in  the  direct  ratio  of  the  size  of  the  library. 
Xor  will  it  do  to  admit  one  class  of  readers  to  the  shelves, 
and  exclude  others.  It  often  happens  that  persons  claim- 
ing to  have  special  literar}^  or  scientific  objects,  and  who 
profess  that  they  cannot  get  along  at  all  by  having  books 
brought  to  them,  are  favored  in  their  wish  to  go  to  the 
shelves,  while  others  are  disfavored.  This  raises  at  once 
the  just  complaint  that  invidious  distinctions  are  made. 
The  only  safe  rule  to  follow  is  that  of  universal  free  access, 
or  impartial  and  uniform  exclusion  from  the  shelves.  In 
the  latter  case,  no  one  can  complain,  especially  when  made 
aware  that  he  can  have  all  the  works  on  a  given  subject 
brought  to  his  seat  in  a  brief  time,  and  can  work  upon 
them  to  much  greater  comfort  and  advantage,  seated  where 
there  is  good  light  and  ample  room,  than  if  standing  up  in 
the  shadow  of  the  shelves  to  pursue  his  researches. 

It  is  also  to  be  considered  that  such  disarrangement  of 
books  as  inevitably  follows  free  admission  to  the  shelves 
deprives  the  very  persons  who  claim  this  privilege,  of  find- 
ing what  they  seek,  until  a  complete  replacement  takes 
]j]ace,  throughout  the  library,  and  this  is  necessarily  a  work 
of  time.  That  it  involves  much  more  time  and  consequent 
delay  than  is  occasioned  by  the  re-shelving  of  books  used 
in  a  day,  is  apparent  when  we  consider  that  in  the  latter 
case,  only  the  number  of  volumes  actually  withdrawn  from 
shelves  by  the  library  attendants  have  to  be  replaced,  and 
that  these  are  in  conveniently  assorted  piles  all  ready  to  go 
to  their  respective  shelves;  while  in  the  other  case,  the  dis- 
placement is  made  by  many  hands,  most  of  them  careless 
of  any  convenience  but  their  own,  and  moreover,  the  dis- 
arranged books  are,  or  are  liable  to  be,  scattered  on  the 
wrong  shelves,  thus  throwing  the  entire  library  into  dis- 


218 


A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 


order,  requiring  great  pains,  knowledge,  and  time  to  re- 
pair. 

In  any  well-regulated  library,  the  absence  of  any  book 
from  its  place  can  almost  always  be  accounted  for.  Thus 
it  is  either — 1.  In  the  reading  room,  in  use;  or  2.  Charged 
out  to  a  borrower;  or  3.  Sent  to  the  binder  for  rebinding, 
or  repair:  or  4.  Eeserved  for  some  reader's  use;  or  5.  In 
temj)(n-ar\-  use  by  a  cataloguer,  or  some  other  library  as- 
sistant; or  6.  Among  the  books  not  yet  re-shelved  from 
recent  use. 

Kow  each  of  these  is  a  legitimate  reason  for  the  absence 
of  any  book  not  found  in  its  place.  By  search  under  each 
of  these  heads,  seriatim,  aided  by  the  memory  of  librarian 
and  assistants,  the  missing  volume  should  be  readily  lo- 
cated, and  soon  availed  of  for  use. 

But  in  the  case  of  books  misplaced  by  readers,  no  such 
tracing  out  of  the  whereabouts  of  any  volume  is  effectual, 
for  the  reason  that  the  book  may  have  been  (and  probably 
is)  put  on  some  shelf  where  it  does  not  belong.  And  the 
question,  where  in  an  extensive  collection,  a  book-hunter 
admitted  to  freely  range  over  all  the  shelves,  and  a 
stranger  to  the  minute  classification  of  books,  has  mis- 
placed the  missing  volumes,  is  an  insoluble  problem,  ex- 
cept by  hunting  over  or  handling  the  entire  library. 

In  this  close  practical  view  of  the  case  we  have  to  add  to 
the  long  list  of  the  enemies  of  books,  formerly  enumerated, 
those  who  demand  a  right  to  browse  (as  they  term  it) 
among  the  shelves  of  a  public  library,  and  who  displace  the 
books  they  take  down  to  gratify,  it  may  be,  only  an  idle 
curiosity.  Their  offence  consists,  not  in  being  anxious  to 
see  the  books,  but  in  preventing  others  from  seeing  them, 
by  segregating  them  where  neither  librarian  nor  assistants 
may  be  able  to  find  them,  when  called  for.  The  whole 
question  is  summed  up  in  the  statement  that  the  ability  to 


ACCESS  TO  LIBRARY  SHELVES.  219 

produce  library  books  when  called  for,  depends  strictly 
upon  keeping  them  in  their  proper  place :  and  this  is  quite 
incompatible  with  promiscuous  handling  upon  the  shelves. 

The  preservation  of  order  is  alike  in  the  interest  of  the 
reading  public,  of  the  librarian  and  his  assistants,  and  of 
the  very  persons  who  complain  of  it  as  depriving  them  of 
library  facilities.  If  library  facilities  consist  in  rendering 
the  books  in  it  unfindable,  aud  therefore  unavailable  to 
any  reader,  then  the  argument  for  free  range  of  the  shelves 
arrives  at  a  reductio  ad  absurdum.  The  true  library  facili- 
ties consist  in  a  classification  and  a  catalogue  which  ar- 
range the  books  in  systematic  order,  and  keep  them  there, 
save  when  called  into  use.  Tlius,  and  thus  only,  can  those 
who  resort  to  a  public  library  for  actual  research,  be  as- 
sured of  finding  what  they  want,  just  when  they  want  it. 
The  time  saved  to  all  readers  by  the  sure  and  steady  pre- 
servation of  an  orderly  arrangement  of  the  books,  is  sim- 
ply incalculable.  ^Multiply  the  nuuiber  of  volumes  out  of 
place  l)y  the  number  of  readers  who  call  for  them,  and  you 
have  some  idea  of  the  mischief  that  may  be  done  tlirough 
the  carelessness  of  a  few  favored  readers,  to  the  whole  com- 
munity of  scholars.  Of  course  the  considerations  here  set 
forth  pre-suppose  an  active  and  intelligent  librarian,  and 
zealous  and  willing  attendants,  all  ever  ready  to  aid  the 
researches  of  readers  by  the  most  prompt  and  helpful  sug- 
gestions, and  by  dispatch  in  placing  before  them  what  they 
most  need.  The  one  cardinal  design  of  a  library — to  sup- 
]i]y  the  largest  amount  of  information  in  the  shortest  time, 
is  subverted  l)y  any  disorganizing  scheme.  If  the  library 
be  administered  on  tlie  just  ])rinci))le  of  "the  greatest  good 
to  the  greatest  number,"  then  such  individual  favoritism 
should  never  be  allowed. 

It  may,  indeed,  l)e  claimed  thai  lliero  is  no  rule  witliout 
some  valid  exceptions;  but  these  exceptions  should  never 


220  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

be  permitted  to  defeat  the  cardinal  object  of  the  rule — 
whicli  is  to  keep  every  book  strictly  in  its  own  place.  Let 
the  exception  be  confined  to  allowing  an  occasional  in- 
spection of  the  shelves  in  the  company  of  a  library  attend- 
ant, and  there  will  be  no  trouble. 

But  there  is  another  danger,  aside  from  the  misplace- 
ment of  books.  Experience  has  shown  that  thefts  or 
mutilations  of  books  have  been  numerous,  in  direct  pro- 
portion to  the  extension  of  freedom  and  opportunity  to 
those  frequenting  the  library.  Literary  men  and  book- 
lovers  are  frequently  book-collectors  also;  and  the  tempta- 
tion to  take  what  is  often  too  loosely  considered  public 
property  is  sometimes  yielded  to  by  persons  whose  char- 
acter and  standing  may  render  them  the  least  suspected. 
In  one  of  the  largest  lending  libraries  in  this  country,  the 
purloining  of  books  had  been  carried  so  far,  that  the  au- 
thorities had  to  provide  a  wire  fence  all  around  the  read- 
ing room,  to  keep  the  readers  from  access  to  the  shelves. 
The  result  was  soon  seen  in  the  reduction  of  the  number 
of  books  stolen  from  700  volumes  to  300  volumes  a  year. 

After  several  years'  experience  of  the  Astor  Library  in 
opening  its  alcoves  to  readers  (amounting  to  practical  free 
admission  to  the  shelves  to  all  calling  themselves  special 
students)  the  losses  and  mutilations  of  books  became  so 
serious,  that  alcove  admissions  have  been  greatly  curtailed. 

At  the  Conference  of  Librarians  in  London,  in  1877, 
the  subject  of  admission  or  non-admission  to  the  shelves 
was  discussed  with  the  result  that  opinions  were  prepond- 
erantly adverse  to  the  free  range  of  the  library  by  readers. 
It  was  pointed  out  that  libraries  are  established  and  main- 
tained at  great  cost  for  serious  purposes  of  reading  and 
study,  and  that  these  ends  are  best  subserved  by  systematic 
service  at  a  common  centre — not  by  letting  the  readers 
scatter   themselves   about   the   library    shelves.     To    one 


ACCESS  TO  LIBEART  SHELVES.  221 

speaker  who  held  that  every  one  in  a  free  public  library 
had  the  right  to  go  to  the  shelves,  and  choose  his  books  for 
himself,  it  was  answered  that  this  was  equivalent  to  say- 
ing that  it  is  the  idler's  right  to  stroll  about  in  every  place 
devoted  to  a  special  business,  and  interrupt  that  business 
at  his  pleasure. 

At  the  International  Conference  of  1897,  an  able  de- 
fence of  open  shelves  was  presented,  claiming  that  it  saves 
much  librarians'  time  in  finding  books,  if  readers  are  al- 
lowed to  find  them  for  themselves;  that  thefts  and  mutila- 
tions are  inconsiderable;  that  it  makes  an  appeal  to  the 
honor  of  people  to  respect  the  books;  that  the  open  shelf 
system  does  better  educational  work ;  that  it  is  economical 
by  requiring  fewer  library  attendants;  that  it  has  grown 
steadily  in  favor  in  America,  and  that  it  gives  the  people 
the  same  right  in  the  library  which  is  their  own,  as  the 
individual  has  in  his  own. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  urged  that  the  arguments  for 
open  shelves  were  all  arguments  for  anarchy;  that  the 
readers  who  want  to  rummage  about  for  what  they  want 
lack  proper  discipline  of  the  mind;  that  the  number  of 
books  lost  under  it  has  been  very  large ;  that  librarians  are 
custodians  and  conservers,  as  well  as  dispensers  of  books; 
that  all  books  misplaced  are  practically  lost  to  the  library 
for  the  time  being;  that  the  open  shelf  system  requires  far 
more  space,  and  is  more  expensive;  and  that,  however  de- 
sirable, its  general  adoption  is  utterly  impracticable. 

The  practice  of  libraries  in  this  particular  of  adminis- 
tration flifTers  widely,  as  do  the  opinions  of  li])rarians  re- 
garding it.  In  most  colleges  and  universities  free  access 
is  allowed;  and  in  gome  public  free  libraries,  both  east  and 
west,  the  readers  arc  allowed  to  handle  the  books  on  the 
shelves.  This  is  comparatively  safe  in  the  smaller  town 
libraries,  where  the  books  are  in  compact  shape,  and  the 


--■i  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

iinavoidalile  misplacement  can  be  corrected  daily  in  no 
long  time.  The  experience  of  "open  shelves"  in  such  col- 
lections has  l)een  so  favorable  that  their  librarians  have 
testified  that  the  losses  were  insignificant  when  compared 
witli  the  great  pul)lic  convenience  resulting.  But  the  dif- 
ficulty and  confusion  arising  from  free  handling  of  the 
books  on  shelves  increases  in  the  direct  ratio  of  the  size  of 
the  library,  until,  in  an  extensive  collection,  it  reaches  an 
intolerable  result. 

"What  is  encountered  continually  in  enforcing  the  rule 
of  exclusion  from  shelves  is  the  almost  universal  conceit 
that  some  reader  is  entitled  to  exemption  from  such  a  rule. 
Explain  to  him  never  so  courteously  that  experience  has 
proved  that  a  library  is  thro'um  into  confusion  by  such  ad- 
mission; that  while  he  may  be  careful  to  replace  every  book 
handled  in  the  same  spot,  nearly  all  readers  are  careless, 
and  he  will  insist  that  he  is  the  exception,  and  that  he  is 
always  careful.  That  is  human  nature,  the  world  over — 
to  believe  that  one  can  do  things  better  than  any  one  else. 
But  if  such  importunities  prevail,  the  chances  are  that 
books  will  be  misplaced  by  the  very  literary  expert  who 
has  solemnly  asserted  his  infallibility. 

On  the  whole,  open  shelves  may  be  viewed  as  an  open 
question.  It  may  be  best  for  small  libraries,  as  to  all  the 
books,  and  for  all  libraries  as  to  some  classes  of  books. 
But  make  it  general,  and  order  and  arrangement  are  at  an 
end,  while  chaos  takes  the  place  of  cosmos.  The  real  stu- 
dent is  better  served  by  the  knowledge  and  aid  of  the  li- 
brarian, thus  saving  his  time  for  study,  than  he  can  be  by 
ranging  about  dark  shelves  to  find,  among  multitudes  of 
books  he  does  not  want,  the  ones  that  he  actually  does 
want.  The  business  of  the  librarian,  and  his  highest  use, 
is  to  bring  the  resources  of  the  library  to  the  reader.  If 
this  takes  a  hundred  or  more  volumes  a  day,  he  is  to  have 


ACCESS  TO  LIBHARY  SHELVES.  223 

them;  but  to  give  him  the  right  to  throw  a  library  into 
confusion  by  "browsing  around/'  is  to  sacrifice  the  rights 
of  the  public  to  prompt  service,  to  the  whim  of  one  man. 
Those  who  think  that  ''browsing"  is  an  education  should 
reflect  that  it  is  like  any  other  wandering  employment, 
fatal  to  fixity  of  purpose.  Like  desultory  reading  of  infi- 
nite periodicals,  it  tends  rather  to  dissipate  the  time  and 
the  attention  than  to  inform  and  strengthen  the  mind. 

In  libraries  of  wide  circulation  in  America,  many  have 
open  shelves,  and  many  more  free  access  to  certain  classes 
of  books.  The  Xewark  Free  Library  opens  all  depart- 
ments except  fiction;  others  open  fiction  and  current  lit- 
erature only.  Some  libraries,  notably  in  England,  have  a 
"safe-guarded"  open-shelf  system,  by  which  the  public  are 
given  free  range  inside  the  library,  while  the  librarians 
take  post  at  the  outside  railing,  to  charge  books  drawn, 
and  check  off  depredations.  This  method  may  be  styled 
"every  one  his  own  librarian,"  and  is  claimed  by  its  origi- 
nators to  work  well. 

At  the  Conference  of  the  American  Library  Association 
in  1899,  after  discussion,  votes  were  taken,  showing  50  li- 
l»rarians  in  favor  of  free  access  to  shelves  for  small  libra- 
ries, as  against  only  10  for  unrestricted  access  in  large 
libraries. 

The  debate  brought  out  curious  and  instructive  facts  as 
to  losses  of  books  where  free  range  is  allowed.  The  Denver 
Public  Library  lost  in  one  year  955  volumes;  the  Buffalo 
Public  Library  700  books  in  seventeen  montlis;  the  Minne- 
apolis, 300  in  a  year;  and  tlie  St.  T^ouis  Public  Library 
1,0G2  volumes  in  two  years,  out  of  "a  very  limited  open 
shelf  collection."  One  librarian,  estimating  the  loss  of 
books  at  $1,000  wortli  in  two  years,  said  the  library  board 
were  perfectly  satisficfl,  and  that  "unless  we  lose  $2,500 
vorili  of  books  a  year,  tlie  open-sholf  system  ]tays  in   its 


224  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

saving  of  the  expenses  of  attendance."  It  does  not  appear 
to  have  occurred  to  them  that  a  public  library  owes  any- 
thing to  the  public  morality,  nor  that  a  library  losing  its 
books  by  the  thousand,  to  save  the  cost  of  proper  manage- 
ment, may  be  holding  out  a  premium  to  wholesale  robbery. 
There  is  another  precaution  essential  to  be  observed  re- 
garding the  more  costly  and  rare  possessions  of  the  library. 
Such  books  should  not  be  placed  upon  the  shelves  with  the 
ordinary  books  of  the  collection,  but  provided  for  in  a  re- 
pository under  lock  and  key.  In  a  large  library,  where 
many  hundred  volumes  of  books  of  especial  rarity  and 
value  are  to  be  found,  a  separate  room  should  always  exist 
for  this  class  of  books.  They  will  properly  include  (1)  In- 
cunabula, or  early  printed  books;  (2)  Manuscripts,  or 
unique  specimens,  such  as  collections  of  autographs  of  no- 
table people;  (3)  Illuminated  books,  usually  written  on 
vellum,  or  printed  in  color;  (4)  Early  and  rare  Americana, 
or  books  of  American  discovery,  history,  etc.,  which  are 
scarce  and  difficult  to  replace;  (5)  Any  books  known  to  be 
out  of  print ;  and  (6)  Many  costly  illustrated  works  wliich 
should  be  kept  apart  for  only  occasional  inspection  by  read- 
ers. Where  no  separate  room  exists  for  safe  custody  of 
such  treasures,  they  should  be  provided  with  a  locked  book- 
case or  cases,  according  to  their  number.  When  any  of 
these  reserved  books  are  called  for,  they  should  be  sup- 
plied to  readers  under  special  injunctions  of  careful  hand- 
ling. Neglect  of  precaution  may  at  any  time  be  the  means 
of  losing  to  the  library  a  precious  volume.  It  is  easy  for 
an  unknown  reader  who  calls  for  such  a  rare  or  costly 
work,  to  sign  his  ticket  with  a  false  name,  and  slip  the  book 
under  his  coat  when  unobserved,  and  so  leave  the  library 
unchallenged.  But  the  librarian  or  assistant  who  supplies 
the  book,  if  put  on  his  guard  by  having  to  fetch  it  from  a 
locked  repository,  should  keep  the  reader  under  observa- 


ACCESS  TO  LIBRARY  SHELVES.  225 

tion,  unless  well  known,  until  the  volume  is  safely  re- 
turned. Designing  and  dishonest  persons  are  ever  hover- 
ing about  public  libraries,  and  some  of  the  most  dangerous 
among  them  are  men  who  know  the  value  of  books. 

This  class  of  reserved  books  should  not  be  given  out  in 
circulation,  under  any  circumstances.  Xot  only  are  they 
subject  to  injur)''  by  being  handled  in  households  where 
there  are  children  or  careless  persons,  who  soil  or  deface 
them,  but  they  are  exposed  to  the  continual  peril  of  fire, 
and  consequent  loss  to  the  library.  There  are  often  books 
among  these  rarities,  which  money  cannot  replace,  because 
no  copies  can  be  found  when  wanted.  In  the  Library  of 
-Congress,  there  is  a  very  salutary  safe-guard  thrown 
around  tTie  most  valuable  books  in  the  form  of  a  library 
regulation  which  provides  that  no  manuscript  whatever, 
and  no  printed  book  of  special  rarity  and  value  shall  be 
taken  out  of  the  library  by  any  person.  This  restriction 
of  course  applies  to  Members  of  Congress,  as  well  as  to 
those  ofificials  who  have  the  legal  right  to  draw  books  from 
the  library. 


CHAPTEE    12. 

The  Faculty  of  Memory. 

To  every  reader  nothing  can  be  more  important  than 
that  faculty  of  the  mind  "wliich  we  call  memory.  The 
retentive  memory  instinctively  stores  up  the  facts,  ideas, 
imagery,  and  often  the  very  language  found  in  books,  so 
clearly  that  they  become  available  at  any  moment  in  after 
life.  The  tenacity  of  this  hold  upon  the  intellectual 
treasures  which  books  contain  depends  largely  upon  the 
strength  of  the  impression  made  upon  the  mind  when 
reading.  And  this,  in  turn,  depends  much  upon  the  force, 
clearness  and  beauty  of  the  author's  style  or  expression. 
A  crude,  or  feeble,  or  wordy,  redundant  statement  makes 
little  impression,  while  a  terse,  clear,  well-balanced  sen- 
tence fixes  the  attention,  and  so  fastens  itself  in  the 
memory.  Hence  the  books  which  are  best  remembered 
will  be  those  which  are  the  best  written.  Great  as  is  the 
power  of  thought,  we  are  often  obliged  to  confess  that 
the  power  of  expression  is  greater  still.  When  the  sub- 
stance and  the  style  of  any  writing  concur  to  make  a  har- 
monious and  strong  impression  on  the  reader's  mind,  the 
writer  has  achieved  success.  All  our  study  of  literature 
tends  to  confirm  the  conviction  of  the  supreme  importance 
of  an  effective  style. 

AYe  must  set  down  a  good  memory  as  a  cardinal  quali- 
fication of  the  librarian.  This  faculty  of  the  mind,  in  fact, 
is  more  important  to  him  than  to  the  members  of  any 
other  profession  whatever,  because  it  is  more  incessantly 
drawn  upon.  Every  hour  in  the  day,  and  sometimes  every 
minute  in  the  hour,  he  has  to  recall  the  names  of  certain 

(226) 


THE  FACULTY  OF  MEMORY.  227 

books,  the  authors  of  the  same,  including  both  their  sur- 
names and  Christian  or  forenames,  the  subjects  principally 
treated  in  them,  the  words  of  some  proverb  or  quotation, 
or  elegant  extract  in  poetry  or  prose,  the  period  of  time 
of  an  author  or  other  noted  person,  the  standard  measure- 
ments and  weights  in  use,  with  their  equivalents,  the 
moneys  of  foreign  nations  and  their  American  values,  the 
time  of  certain  notable  events  in  history,  whether  foreign 
or  American,  ancient  or  modern^  the  names  and  succession 
of  rulers,  the  prices  of  many  books,  the  rules  observed  in 
the  catalogue,  both  of  authors  and  subjects,  the  names 
and  schools  of  groat  artists,  with  their  period,  the  mean- 
ing in  various  foreign  languages  of  certain  words,  the  geo- 
graphical location  of  an}^  place  on  the  earth's  surface,  the 
region  of  the  library  in  which  any  boolv  is  located — and, 
in  short,  an  infinitude  of  items  of  information  which  he 
wants  to  know  out  of  hand,  for  his  own  use,  or  in  aid  of 
Lil)rary  readers  or  assistants.  The  immense  variety  of 
these  drafts  upon  his  memory  seldom  perplexes  one  who  is 
well  endowed  with  a  natural  gift  in  that  direction.  In 
fact,  it  seems  actually  true  of  such  minds,  that  the  more 
fiumerous  the  calls  upon  the  memory,  the  more  ready  is 
the  response. 

The  metaphysicians  have  spent  many  words  in  at- 
tempting to  define  the  various  qualities  of  the  mind, 
and  to  account  for  a  strong  or  a  weak  memory;  but  after 
all  is  said,  we  find  tliat  the  surprising  difPorence  between 
difi'erent  memories  is  unaccounted  for;  as  unaccountable, 
indeed,  as  what  differences  the  man  of  genius  from  the 
mere  plodder.  The  principle  of  association  of  ideas  is 
doubtless  the  leading  element  in  a  memory  whicli  is  not 
merely  verbal.  We  associate  in  our  minds,  almost  in- 
stinctively, ideas  of  time,  or  space,  or  persons,  or  events, 
and  these  connect  or  compare  one  with  another,  so  that 


228  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

what  we  want  is  called  up  or  recalled  in  memory,  by  a  train 
of  endless  suggestion.  We  all  have  this  kind  of  memory, 
which  may  be  termed  the  rational  or  ideal,  as  distinguished 
from  the  verbal  and  the  local  memory.  The  verbal  mem- 
ory is  that  which  retains  in  the  mind,  and  reproduces  at 
will  what  has  been  said  in  our  hearing  by  others,  or  what 
we  have  read  which  has  made  a  marked  impression  upon 
us.  Thus,  some  persons  can  repeat  with  almost  exact 
accuracy,  every  word  of  a  long  conversation  held  with 
another.  Others  can  repeat  whole  poems,  or  long  passages 
in  prose  from  favorite  authors,  after  reading  them  over 
two  or  three  times,  and  can  retain  them  perfectly  in  mem- 
ory for  half  a  century  or  more.  There  have  even  been 
persons  to  whom  one  single  reading  of  any  production  was 
sufficient  to  enable  them  to  repeat  it  verbatim.  These  in- 
stances of  a  great  verbal  memory  are  by  no  means  rare, 
although  some  of  them  appear  almost  incredible.  John 
Locke  tells  us  of  the  French  philosopher  Pascal,  that  he 
never  forgot  anything  of  what  he  had  done,  said,  or 
thought,  in  any  part  of  his  natural  life.  And  the  same 
thing  is  recorded  of  that  great  scholar  of  Holland,  Hugo 
Grotius. 

The  mathematician  Euler  could  repeat  the  Aeneid  of 
Virgil  from  beginning  to  end,  containing  nearly  nine 
thousand  lines.  Mozart,  upon  hearing  the  Miserere  of 
Allegri  played  in  the  Sistine  Chapel  at  Eome,  only  once, 
went  to  his  hotel,  and  wrote  it  all  down  from  memory,  note 
for  note. 

Cardinal  Mezzofanti  both  wrote  and  spoke  thirty  lan- 
guages, and  was  quite  familiar  with  more  than  a  hundred. 
He  said  that  if  he  once  heard  the  meaning  of  a  word  in  any 
language,  he  never  forgot  it.  Yet  he  was  of  the  opinion, 
that  although  he  had  twenty  words  for  one  idea,  it  was 
better  to  have  twenty  ideas  for  one  word;  which  is  no 


THE  FACULTY  OF  MBMOBY.  229 

doubt  true,  so  far  as  real  intellectual  culture  is  concerned. 
Lord  Maeaulay,  who  had  a  phenomenal  memory,  said  that 
if  all  the  copies  of  Milton's  Paradise  Lost  were  to  be  de- 
stroyed, he  could  reproduce  the  book  complete,  from  mem- 
ory. In  early  life  he  was  a  great  admirer  of  Walter  Scott's 
poetry,  and  especially  the  "Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel",  and 
could  repeat  the  whole  of  that  long  poem,  more  than  six 
hundred  lines,  from  memory.  x\nd  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  he  records — "I  walked  in  the  portico,  and  learned 
by  heart  the  noble  fourth  act  of  the  Merchant  of  Venice. 
There  are  four  hundred  lines.  I  made  myself  perfect  mas- 
ter of  the  whole  in  two  hours."  It  was  said  of  him  that 
every  incident  he  heard  of,  and  every  page  he  read,  "as- 
sumed in  his  mind  a  concrete  spectral  form." 

But  the  memory  for  names  and  words  has  been  some- 
times called  the  lowest  form  of  memory.  Persons  of  de- 
fective or  impaired  intellect  frequently  have  strong  and 
retentive  verbal  memories.  Mrs.  Somerville  records  the 
case  of  an  idiot  who  could  repeat  a  whole  sermon  verbatim, 
after  once  hearing  it,  but  who  was  stupid  and  ignorant  as 
to  every  thing  else.  And  there  are  many  instances  in  the 
books  to  the  same  effect. 

Another  kind  of  memory  may  be  called,  for  want  of  a 
better  name,  the  local  memory.  A  person  who  has  this 
strongly  developed,  if  he  once  goes  to  a  place,  Avhether  a 
room,  or  a  street  in  a  city,  or  a  road  in  any  part  of  the 
country,  knows  the  way  again,  and  can  find  it  by  instinct 
ever  after.  In  the  same  way  any  one  gifted  with  this 
almost  unerring  sense  of  locality,  can  find  any  book  on  any 
slu'lf  in  any  part  of  a  library  where  he  has  once  been.  He 
knows,  in  like  manner,  on  which  side  of  the  page  he  saw 
any  given  passage  in  a  book,  which  impressed  him  at  the 
time,  although  he  may  never  have  had  the  volume  in  his 
hand  more  than  once.     He  may  not  remember  the  nam- 


230  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    HEADERS. 

ber  of  tlie  page,  but  he  is  sure  of  his  recollection  that  it 
was  the  left  or  the  right  hand  one,  as  the  case  may  be,  and 
this  knowledge  Avill  abridge  his  labor  and  time  in  finding 
it  again  b}'  just  one  half.  This  local  memory  is  invaluable 
to  a  librarian  or  an  assistant  in  shortening  the  labor  of 
finding  things.  If  you  have  a  good  local  memory,  you  can, 
in  no  long  time,  come  to  dispense  with  the  catalogue  and 
its  shelf-marks  or  classification  marks,  almost  entirely, 
in  finding  your  books.  Although  this  special  gift  of  mem- 
or}' — the  sense  of  locality — is  unquestionably  a  lower 
faculty  of  the  mind  than  some  others  named,  and  although 
there  are  illiterate  persons  who  can  readily  find  and  pro- 
duce any  books  in  a  library  which  have  often  passed 
through  their  hands,  yet  it  is  a  faculty  by  no  means  to  be 
despised.  It  is  one  of  the  labor-saving,  time-saving  gifts, 
which  should  be  welcomed  by  every  librarian.  The  time 
saved  from  searching  the  catalogues  for  location-marks 
of  the  outside  of  books,  will  enable  him  to  make  many  a  re- 
search in  their  inside.  This  faculty,  of  course,  is  indefin- 
itely strengthened  and  improved  by  use — and  the  same  is 
true  of  the  other  branches  of  the  sense  which  we  call  mem- 
ory. The  oftener  you  have  been  to  any  place,  the  better 
you  know  the  way.  The  more  frequently  you  have  found 
and  produced  a  given  book  from  its  proper  receptacle,  the 
easier  and  the  quicker  will  be  your  finding  it  again. 

Another  faculty  or  phase  of  memory  is  found  in  the 
ability  to  call  up  the  impression  made  by  any  object  once 
seen  by  the  eye,  so  as  to  reproduce  it  accurately  in  speech 
or  writing.  This  may  be  termed  the  intuitive  memory. 
There  are  many  applications  or  illustrations  of  this  faculty. 
Thus,  for  example,  you  see  a  book  on  some  shelf  in  your 
library.  You  take  in  its  size,  its  binding,  both  the  ma- 
terial and  the  color,  and  its  title  as  lettered  on  the  back. 
All  this  you  absorb  with  one  glance  of  the  eye.     You  re- 


THE    FACULTY    OF    ilEMORT.  231 

member  it  by  the  principle  of  association — that  is,  you 
associate  with  that  particular  book,  in  connection  with 
its  title,  a  certain  dimension,  color,  and  style  of  binding. 
Now,  when  yon  have  occasion  to  look  up  that  special  vol- 
ume again,  you  not  only  go,  aided  by  your  memory  of  local- 
ity, to  the  very  section  and  shelf  of  the  library  where  it  be- 
longs, but  you  take  with  you  instinctively,  your  memory  or 
mental  image  of  the  book's  appearance.  Thus,  you  per- 
haps distinctly  remember  (1)  that  it  was  an  octavo,  and 
your  eye  in  glancing  along  the  shelf  where  it  belongs,  re- 
jects intuitively  all  the  duodecimos  or  books  of  lesser  size, 
to  come  to  the  octavos.  (2)  Then  you  also  remember  that 
it  was  bound  in  leather,  consequently  you  pass  quickly  by 
all  the  cloth  bound  volumes  on  the  shelf.  (3)  in  the  third 
place  you  know  that  its  color  was  red;  and  you  pay  no  at- 
tention whatever  to  books  of  any  other  color,  but  quickly 
seize  your  red  leather-bound  octavo,  and  bear  it  ofE  to  the 
reading-room  in  triumph.  Of  course  there  are  circum- 
stances where  this  quick  operation  of  the  faculties  of  mem- 
ory and  intuition  combined,  would  not  be  so  easy.  For 
example,  all  the  books  (or  nearly  all)  on  a  given  shelf  might 
be  octavos;  or  they  might  all  be  leather-bound;  or  a  ma- 
jority of  them  with  red  backs;  and  the  presence  of  one  or 
more  of  these  conditions  would  eliminate  one  or  more  of 
the  facilities  for  most  rapidly  picking  out  the  book  wanted. 
But. take  a  pile  of  books,  we  will  say  returocd  by  many 
readers,  on  the  library  counter.  You  are  searching  among 
them  for  a  particular  volume  that  is  again  wanted.  There 
is  no  order  or  arrangement  of  the  volumes,  but  you  dis- 
tinctly remember,  from  having  handled  it,  its  size  both  as 
to  height  and  thickness,  its  color,  and  how  it  was  bound. 
You  know  it  was  a  thin  12mo.  in  green  cloth  binding.  Do 
you,  in  your  search,  take  up  every  book  in  that  mass,  to 
scrutinize  its  title,  and  see  if  it  is  the  one  you  seek?    By  no 


232  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

means.  You  quickly  thrust  aside,  one  by  one,  or  by  the 
half-dozen,  all  the  volumes  which  are  not  green,  cloth- 
bound,  thin  duodecimos,  without  so  much  as  glancing  at 
them.  Your  special  volume  is  quickly  found  among  hun- 
dreds of  volumes,  and  your  faculty  of  memory  and  intui- 
tion has  saved  you  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  valu- 
able time,  which,  without  that  faculty,  might  have  been 
wasted  in  search. 

Again,  another  circumstance  which  might  intervene  to 
diminish  the  frequency  of  application  of  the  memory  re- 
ferred to,  as  to  the  physical  features  or  appearance  of  a 
book  sought  for,  is  where  the  shelf -arrangement  is  alpha- 
betical, by  authors'  names,  or  by  the  names  of  the  sub- 
jects of  the  books,  if  it  is  an  alphabet  of  biographies. 
Here,  the  surest  and  the  quickest  guide  to  the  book  is  of 
course  the  alphabetical  order,  in  which  it  must  necessarily 
be  found. 

This  memory  of  the  aspect  of  any  object  once  looked  at, 
is  further  well  illustrated  in  the  very  varied  facilities  for 
the  spelling  of  words  found  in  different  persons.  Thus, 
there  are  people  who,  when  they  once  see  any  word  (we 
will  say  a  proper  name)  written  or  printed,  can  always 
afterwards  spell  that  word  unerringly,  no  matter  how  un- 
common it  may  be.  The  mental  retina,  so  to  speak,  re- 
ceives so  clear  and  exact  an  impression  of  the  form  of  that 
word  from  the  eye,  that  it  retains  and  reproduces  it  at 
will. 

But  there  are  others,  (and  among  them  persons  of  much 
learning  in  some  directions)  upon  whom  the  form  or  ortho- 
graphy of  a  word  makes  little  or  no  impression,  however 
frequently  it  meets  the  eye  in  reading.  I  have  known 
several  fine  scholars,  and  among  them  the  head  of  an  in- 
stitution of  learning,  who  could  not  for  the  life  of  them 
spell  correctly;  and  this  infirmity  extended  even  to  some 


THE    FACULTY    OF    MEMORY.  233 

of  the  commonest  words  in  the  language.  Why  this  in- 
aptitude on  the  part  of  many,  and  this  extraordinary 
facility  on  the  part  of  others,  in  the  memorizing  faculty, 
is  a  phenomenon  which  may  be  noted  down,  but  not  solved. 
That  vivid  mental  picture  which  is  seen  by  the  inward  eye 
of  the  person  favored  with  a  good  memor}',  is  wholly  want- 
ing, or  seen  only  dimly  and  rarely  in  the  case  of  one  who 
easily  forgets. 

So  vital  and  important  is  memory,  that  it  has  been  justly 
denominated  by  the  German  philosopher,  Kant,  "the  most 
wonderful  of  our  faculties."  Without  it,  the  words  of  a 
book  would  be  unintelligible  to  us,  since  it  is  memory  alone 
whicli  furnishes  us  with  the  several  meanings  to  be  at- 
tached to  them. 

Some  writers  on  the  science  of  mind  assert  that  there 
is  no  such  thing  with  any  of  us  as  absolutely  forgetting 
anything  that  has  once  been  in  the  mind.  All  mental 
activities,  all  knowledge  which  ever  existed,  persists.  We 
never  wholly  lose  them,  but  they  become  faint  and  obscure. 
One  mental  image  effaces  another.  But  those  which  have 
thus  disappeared  may  be  recalled  by  an  act  of  reminiscence. 
Wliile  it  may  sometimes  be  impossible  to  recover  one  of 
tlicm  at  the  moment  when  wanted,  by  an  act  of  voluntary 
recollection,  some  association  may  bring  it  unexpectedly 
and  vividly  before  us.  Memory  plays  us  many  strange 
tricks,  both  when  we  wake  and  when  we  dream.  It  re- 
vives, by  an  involuntary  process,  an  infinite  variety  of  past 
scenes,  faces,  events,  ideas,  emotions,  passions,  conversa- 
tions, and  written  or  printed  pages,  all  of  wliich  we  may 
have  fancied  had  passed  forever  from  our  consciousness. 

The  aids  to  memory  supposed  to  l)e  furuislied  by  the 
various  mnemonic  systems  may  now  ])e  l)rieny  considered. 
These  methods  of  supplying  tlie  defects  of  a  naturally  weak 
memory,  or  of  strengthening  a  fairly  good  one,  are  one 


234  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    RKADERS. 

and  all  artificial.  This  might  not  be  a  conclusive  objec- 
tion to  them,  were  they  really  effective  and  permanent 
helps,  enabling  one  who  has  learned  them  to  recall  with 
certainty  ideas,  names,  dates,  and  events  which  he  is  un- 
able to  recall  by  other  means.  Theory  apart,  it  is  con- 
ceded that  a  system  of  memorizing  which  had  proved 
widely  or  generally  successful  in  making  a  good  memory 
out  of  a  poor  one,  would  deserve  much  credit.  But  experi- 
ence with  these  systems  has  as  yet  failed  to  show,  l)y  the 
stern  test  of  practical  utility,  that  they  can  give  substan- 
tial (and  still  less  permanent)  aid  in  curing  the  defects 
of  memory.  Most  of  the  systems  of  mnemonics  that  have 
been  invented  are  constructed  on  the  principle  of  locality, 
or  of  utilizing  objects  \vhich  appeal  to  the  sight.  There 
is  nothing  new  in  these  methods,  for  the  principle  is  as 
old  as  Simonides,  who  lived  in  the  fifth  century  before 
Christ,  and  who  devised  a  system  of  memorizing  by  local- 
ity. One  of  the  most  prevalent  systems  now  taught  is  to 
select  a  number  of  rooms  in  a  house  (in  the  mind's  eye, 
of  course)  and  divide  the  walls  and  the  floors  of  each  room 
into  nine  equal  parts  or  squares,  three  in  a  row.     Then 

"On  the  front  wall — that  opposite  the  entrance  of  the 
first  room — are  the  units,  on  the  right-hand  wall  the  tens, 
on  the  left  hand  the  twenties,  on  the  fourth  wall  the  thir- 
ties, and  on  the  floor  the  forties.  Xumbers  10,  20,  30,  and 
40,  each  find  a  place  on  the  roof  above  their  respective 
walls.  One  room  will  thus  furnish  50  places,  and  ten 
rooms  as  many  as  500,  while  50  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
roof.  Having  fixed  these  clearly  in  the  mind,  so  as  to  be 
able  readily  and  at  once  to  tell  the  exact  position  of  each 
place  or  number,  it  is  then  necessary  to  associate  with  each 
of  them  some  familiar  object  (or  symbol)  so  that  the  oljject 
being  suggested,  its  place  may  be  instantly  remembered, 
or  when  the  place  is  before  the  mind,  its  object  may  imme- 
diately spring  up.  When  this  has  been  done  thoroughly, 
the  objects  can  be  run  over  in  any  order  from  beginning 


THE  FACULTY  OF  MEMOBY.  235 

to  end,  or  from  end  to  beginning,  or  the  place  of  any  par- 
ticular one  can  at  once  be  given.  All  that  is  further  neces- 
sary is  to  associate  the  ideas  we  wish  to  remember  with  the 
objects  in  the  various  places,  by  which  means  they  are  read- 
ily remembered,  and  can  be  gone  over  in  any  order.  In 
this  way,  one  may  learn  to  repeat  several  hundred  discon- 
nected words  or  ideas  in  any  order,  after  hearing  them  only 
once." 

This  rather  complicated  machinery  for  aiding  the  mem- 
ory is  quite  too  mechanical  to  commend  itself  to  any  one 
accustomed  to  reflect  or  to  take  note  of  his  own  mental  pro- 
cesses. Such  an  elaborate  system  crowds  the  mind  with 
a  lot  of  useless  furniture,  and  hinders  rather  than  helps  a 
rational  and  straightforward  habit  of  memorizing.  It  too 
much  resembles  the  feat  of  trying  to  jump  over  a  wall  by 
running  back  a  hundred  or  more  3'ards  to  acquire  a  good 
start  or  momentum.  The  very  complication  of  the  system 
is  fitted  to  puzzle  rather  than  to  aid  the  memory.  It 
is  based  on  mechanical  or  arithmetical  associations — not 
founded  on  nature,  and  is  of  very  small  practical  utility. 
It  does  not  strengthen  or  improve  the  habit  of  memorizing, 
which  should  always  be  based  upon  close  attention,  and  a 
logical  method  of  classifying,  associating,  and  analyzing 
facts  or  ideas. 

Lord  Bacon,  more  than  two  centuries  ago,  wisely  char- 
acterized mnemonic  systems  as  "barren  and  useless."  He 
wrote,  "For  immediately  to  repeat  a  multitude  of  names 
or  words  once  repeated  before,  I  esteem  no  more  than  rope- 
dancing,  antic  postures,  and  feats  of  activity;  and,  indeed, 
they  are  nearly  the  same  thing,  the  one  being  the  abuse  of 
the  bodily,  as  the  other  is  of  mental  powers;  and  though 
they  may  cause  admiration,  they  cannot  be  highly  es- 
teemed." 

In  fact,  these  mnemonical  systems  an;  only  a  kind  of 
crutches,  sometimes  useful  to  people  who  cannot  walk,  but 


236  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READRRS. 

actual  impediments  to  those  having  the  use  of  their  limbs, 
and  who  by  proper  exercise  can  maintain  their  healthy  and 
natural  use  indefinitely. 

I  have  given  you  an  account  of  one  of  these  artificial 
systems  of  memory,  or  systems  of  artificial  memory,  as  you 
may  choose  to  call  them.  There  have  been  invented  more 
than  one  hundred  different  systems  of  mnemonics,  all  pro- 
fessing to  be  invaluable,  and  some  claiming  to  be  infallible. 
It  appears  to  be  a  fatal  objection  to  these  memory-systems 
that  they  substitute  a  wholly  artificial  association  of  ideas 
for  a  natural  one.  The  habit  of  looking  for  accidental  or 
arbitrary  relations  of  names  and  things  is  cultivated,  and 
the  power  of  logical,  spontaneous  thought  is  injured  by 
neglecting  essential  for  unessential  relations.  These  arti- 
ficial associations  of  ideas  work  endless  mischief  by  crowd- 
ing out  the  natural  ones. 

How  then,  you  may  ask,  is  a  weak  memory  to  be  strength- 
ened, or  a  fairly  good  memory  to  be  cultivated  into  a  better 
one?  The  answer  is,  by  constant  practice,  and  for  this 
the  vocation  of  a  librarian  furnishes  far  more  opportuni- 
ties than  any  other.  At  the  basis  of  this  practice  of  the 
memory,  lies  the  habit  of  attention.  All  memory  depends 
upon  the  strength  or  vividness  of  the  impression  made 
upon  the  mind,  by  the  object,  the  name,  the  word,  the  date, 
which  is  sought  to  be  remembered.  And  this,  in  turn,  de- 
pends on  the  degree  of  attention  with  which  it  was  first  re- 
garded. If  the  attention  was  so  fixed  that  a  clear  mental 
image  was  formed,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  remember- 
ing it  again.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  were  inattentive, 
or  listless,  or  pre-occupied  with  other  thoughts,  when  you 
encountered  the  object,  your  impression  of  it  would  be 
hazy  and  indistinct,  and  no  effort  of  memory  would  be  like- 
ly to  recall  it. 

Attention  has  been  defined  as  the  fixing  of  the  mind 


THE  FACULTY  OF  MEMORY.  237 

intently  upon  one  particular  object,  to  the  exclusion  for  a 
time,  of  all  other  objects  soliciting  notice.  It  is  essential 
to  those  who  would  have  a  good  memory,  to  cultivate  assid- 
uously the  habit  of  concentration  of  thought.  As  the  scat- 
tering shot  hits  no  mark,  so  the  scattering  and  random 
thoughts  that  sweep  through  an  unoccupied  brain  lead  to 
no  memorable  result,  simply  from  want  of  attention  or  of 
fixation  upon  some  one  mental  vision  or  idea.  With  your 
attention  fastened  upon  any  subject  or  object,  you  sec  it 
more  clearly,  and  it  impresses  itself  more  vividly  in  the 
memory,  as  a  natural  consequence.  Xot  only  so,  but  its 
related  objects  or  ideas  are  brought  up  by  the  principle  of 
association,  and  they  too  make  a  deeper  impression  and  are 
more  closely  remembered.  In  fact,  one  thing  carefully 
observed  and  memorized,  leads  almost  insensibly  to  another 
that  is  related  to  it,  and  thus  the  faculty  of  association  is 
strengthened,  the  memory  is  stimulated,  and  the  seeds  of 
knowledge  are  deeply  planted  in  that  complex  organism 
which  we  call  the  mind.  This  power  of  attention,  of  keep- 
ing an  object  or  a  subject  steadily  in  view  until  it  is  ab- 
sorbed or  mastered,  is  held  by  some  to  be  the  most  distinct- 
ive element  in  genius.  Most  people  have  not  this  habit 
of  concentration  of  the  mind,  but  allow  it  to  wander  aim- 
lessly on,  flitting  from  subject  to  subject,  without  master- 
ing any;  but  then,  most  people  are  not  geniuses.  The 
habit  to  be. cultivated  is  that  of  thinking  persistently  of 
only  one  thing  at  a  time,  sternly  preventing  the  attention 
from  wandering. 

It  may  be  laid  down  as  an  axiom  that  the  two  corner- 
stones of  memory  are  attention  and  association.  And  both 
of  these  must  act  in  harmony,  the  habit  of  fixed  attention 
being  formed  or  guided  })y  the  will,  Ijcfore  a  normal  or  re- 
tentive memory  becomes  possible.  What  is  called  cultivat- 
ing the  memory,  therefore,  docs  not  mean  anything  more 


238  A  liooK  roK  all  keadeks. 

than  close  attention  to  whatever  we  wish  to  remember, 
with  whatever  associations  naturally  cling  to  it,  until  it  is 
actually  mastered.  If  one  has  not  an  instinctive  or  natu- 
rally strong  memory,  he  should  not  rest  satisfied  with  let- 
ting the  days  go  by  until  he  has  improved  it.  The  way  to 
improve  it,  is  to  begin  at  the  foundation,  and  by  the  con- 
stant exercise  of  the  will-power,  to  take  up  every  subject 
with  fixed  attention,  and  one  at  a  time,  excluding  every 
other  for  the  time  being.  There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that 
the  memory  is  capable  of  indefinite  improvement;  and 
though  one's  first  efforts  in  that  direction  may  prove  a 
disappointment,  because  only  partially  successful,  he  should 
try,  and  try  again,  until  he  is  rewarded  with  the  full  fruits 
of  earnest  intellectual  effort,  in  whatever  field.  He  may 
have,  at  the  start,  instead  of  a  fine  memory,  what  a  learned 
professor  called,  "a  fine  forgettery,"  but  let  him  persevere 
to  the  end.  None  of  us  were  made  to  sit  down  in  despair 
because  we  are  not  endowed  wi1,h  an  all-embracing  memory, 
or  because  we  cannot  "speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and 
of  angels,"  and  do  not  know  "all  mysteries  and  all  knowl- 
edge." It  rather  becomes  us  to  make  the  best  and  highest 
use,  day  by  day,  of  the  talents  that  are  bestowed  upon  us, 
remembering  that  however  short  of  perfection  they  may 
be,  we  are  yet  far  more  gifted  than  myriads  of  our  fellow- 
creatures  in  this  very  imperfect  world. 

There  is  no  question  that  the  proper  cultivation  of  the 
memory  is,  or  ought  to  be,  the  chief  aim  of  education.  All 
else  is  so  dependent  upon  this,  that  it  may  be  truly  affirmed 
that,  without  memory,  knowledge  itself  would  be  impos- 
sible. By  giving  up  oneself  with  fixed  attention  to  what 
one  seeks  to  remember,  and  trusting  the  memory,  though 
it  may  often  fail,  any  person  can  increase  his  powers  of 
memory  and  consequently  of  learning,  to  an  indefinite  de- 
gree.    To  improve  and  strengthen  the  memory,  it  must  be 


THE    FACULTY    OF    MEMORY,  239 

constantly  exercised.  Let  it  be  supplied  with  new  knowl- 
edge frequently,  and  called  on  daily  to  reproduce  it.  If 
remembered  only  iniperfectl}^  or  in  part,  refresh  it  by  ref- 
erence to  the  source  whence  the  knowledge  came;  and  re- 
peat this  carefully  and  thoroughly,  until  memory  becomes 
actually  the  store-house  of  what  you  know  on  that  subject. 
If  there  are  certain  kinds  of  facts  and  ideas  which  you 
more  easily  forget  than  others,  it  is  a  good  way  to  practice 
upon  them,  taking  up  a  few  daily,  and  adding  to  them  by 
degrees.  Dr,  W.  T,  Harris,  the  United  States  Commis- 
sioner of  Education,  gave  his  personal  experience  to  the 
effect  that  he  always  found  it  hard  to  remember  dates.  He 
resolved  to  improve  a  feeble  memory  in  this  respect  by 
learning  the  succession  of  English  Kings,  from  William 
the  Conqueror,  down  to  Victoria.  With  his  characteristic 
thoroughness,  he  began  by  learning  three  or  four  dates  of 
accession  only,  the  first  day;  two  new  ones  were  added 
the  second  day;  then  one  new  king  added  the  third  day; 
and  thereafter  even  less  frequency  was  observed  in  learn- 
ing the  chronolog}^  By  this  method  he  had  the  whole 
table  of  thirty-six  sovereigns  learned,  and  made  familiar  by 
constant  review.  It  had  to  be  learned  anew  one  year  after, 
and  once  again  after  years  of  neglect.  But  his  memory  for 
dates  steadily  grew,  and  without  conscious  effort,  dates  and 
numbers  soon  came  to  be  seized  with  a  firmer  grasp  than 
before.  This  kind  of  memory,  he  adds,  now  improves  or 
increases  with  him  from  year  to  year.  Here  is  an  instance 
of  cultivation  of  memory  by  a  notable  scholar,  who  adds  a 
monition  to  learners  with  weak  memories,  not  to  undertake 
to  memorize  too  much  at  once.  Learning  a  succession  of 
fifty  names  slowly,  he  says,  will  so  discipline  the  memory 
for  names,  as  to  partially  or  even  permanently  remove  all 
embarrassment  from  that  sourco.  I  may  add  that  a  long 
table  of  names  or  dales,  or  ativ  |»rolim<red  exiraet  in  verse 


240  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

or  prose,  if  learned  by  repeating  it  over  and  over  as  a 
whole,  will  be  less  tenaciously  retained  in  memory,  than  if 
committed  in  parts. 

The  highest  form  of  memory  is  actually  unconscious, 
i.  c,  that  in  which  what  we  would  recall  comes  to  us  spon- 
taneously, without  effort  or  lapse  of  time  in  thinking  about 
it.  It  is  this  kind  of  memory  that  has  been  possessed  by 
all  the  notable  persons  who  have  been  credited  with  know- 
ing everything,  or  with  never  forgetting  anything.  It  is 
not  to  be  reckoned  to  their  credit,  so  much  as  to  their  good 
fortune.  What  merit  is  there  in  having  a  good  memory, 
when  one  cannot  help  remembering? 

There  is  one  caution  to  be  given  to  those  who  are  learn- 
ing to  improve  a  memory  naturally  weak.  When  such  a 
one  tries  to  recall  a  date,  or  name,  or  place,  or  idea,  or 
book,  it  frequently  happens  that  the  endeavor  fails  utterly. 
The  more  he  tries,  the  more  obstinately  the  desired  object 
fails  to  respond.  As  the  poet  Pope  wrote  about  the  witless 
author : 

"You  beat  your  pate,  and  fancy  wit  will  come; 
Knock  as  you  please,  there's  nobody  at  home." 

In  these  cases,  no  attempt  to  force  the  memory  should  be 
made,  nor  should  the  attention  be  kept  long  on  the  subject, 
for  this  course  only  injures  the  faculty,  and  leads  to  con- 
fusion of  mind.  To  persist  in  a  constantly  baffled  effort 
to  recover  a  word,  or  other  forgotten  link  in  memor}%  is  a 
laborious  attempt  which  is  itself  likely  to  cause  failure,  and 
induce  a  distrust  of  the  memory  which  is  far  from  rational. 
The  forgotten  object  will  probably  recur  in  no  long  time 
after,  when  least  expected. 

]\Iuch  discursive  reading  is  not  only  injurious  to  the 
faculty  of  memory,  but  may  be  positively  destructive  of  it. 
The  vast  extent  of  our  modern  world  of  reviews,  magazines 
and  newspapers,  with  their  immense  variety  of  subjects. 


THE    FACULTY    OF    MEMOHY.  241 

dissipates  the  attention  instead  of  concentrating  it,  and 
becomes  fatal  to  systematic  thouglit,  tenacious  memory, 
and  the  acquirement  of  real  knowledge.  The  mind  that  is 
fed  upon  a  diet  of  morning  and  evening  newspapers,  mainly 
or  solely,  will  become  flabby,  uncertain,  illogical,  frivolous, 
and,  in  fact,  little  better  than  a  scatterbrains.  As  one  who 
listens  to  an  endless  dribble  of  small  talk  lays  up  nothing 
out  of  all  the  palaver,  which,  to  use  a  common  phrase, 
"goes  in  at  one  ear,  and  out  at  the  other,"  so  the  reader 
who  continuously  absorbs  all  the  stuff  which  the  daily 
press,  under  the  pretext  of  "printing  the  news/'  inflicts 
upon  us,  is  nothing  benefited  in  intellectual  gifts  or  per- 
manent knowledge.  What  does  he  learn  by  his  assiduous 
pursuit  of  these  ephemeral  will  o'  the  wisps,  that  only 
"lead  to  bewilder,  and  dazzle  to  blind?"  He  absorbs  an  in- 
credible amount  of  empty  gossip,  doubtful  assertions, 
trifling  descriptions,  apocryphal  news,  and  some  useful, 
but  more  useless  knowledge.  The  only  visible  object  of 
spending  valuable  time  over  these  papers  appears  to  be  to 
satisfy  a  momentary  curiosity,  and  then  the  mass  of  ma- 
terial read  passes  almost  wholly  out  of  the  mind,  and  is 
never  more  thought  of.  Says  Coleridge,  one  of  the  fore- 
most of  English  thinkers:  ''I  believe  the  habit  of  perus- 
ing periodical  works  may  be  properly  added  to  the  cata- 
logue of  anti-mnemonics,  or  weakeners  of  the  memory." 

If  read  sparingly,  and  for  actual  events,  newspapers  have 
a  value  which  is  all  their  own;  but  to  spend  hours  upon 
them,  as  many  do,  is  mere  mental  dissipation. 


CHAPTER    13. 

Qualifications  of  a  Librarian. 

In  directing  attention  to  some  of  the  more  important 
elements  which  should  enter  into  the  character  and  ac- 
quirements of  a  librarian,  I  shall  perhaps  not  treat  them 
in  the  order  of  their  relative  importance.  Thus,  some 
persons  might  consider  the  foremost  qualification  for  one 
aspiring  to  the  position  of  a  librarian  to  be  wide  knowl- 
edge in  literature  and  science:  others  would  say  that  the 
possession  of  sound  common  sense  is  above  all  things 
essential;  others  an  excellent  and  retentive  memory;  still 
others  might  insist  that  business  habits  and  administrative 
faculty  are  all-important;  and  others  again,  a  zeal  for 
learning  and  for  communicating  it  to  others. 

I  shall  not  venture  to  pronounce  what,  among  the  mul- 
titude of  talents  that  are  requisite  to  constitute  a  good 
librarian,  is  the  most  requisite.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  all 
of  them  which  I  shall  notice  are  important,  and  that  the 
order  of  their  treatment  determines  nothing  as  to  which 
are  more  and  which  are  less  important.  So  much  is  ex- 
pected of  librarians  that  it  actually  appears  as  if  a  large 
portion  of  the  public  were  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  him  who  has  a  library  in  charge  to  possess  himself, 
in  some  occult  or  mysterious  way,  unknown  to  the  common 
mind,  of  all  the  knowledge  which  all  the  books  contain. 

The  Librarian  of  the  British  Museum,  speaking  to  a 
conference  of  librarians  in  London,  quoted  a  remark  of 
Pattison,  in  his  "Life  of  Casaubon,^'  that  "the  librarian 
who  reads  is  lost."  This  was  certainly  true  of  that  great 
scholar  Casaubon,  who  in  his  love  for  the  contents  of  the 


QUALIFICATIOXS    OF    A    LIBEARIAX.  243 

books  under  his  charge,  forgot  his  duties  as  a  librarian. 
And  it  is  to  a  large  degree  true  of  librarians  in  general, 
that  those  who  pursue  their  own  personal  reading  or  study 
during  librar}'  hours  do  it  at  the  expense  of  their  useful- 
ness as  librarians.  They  must  be  content  with  such 
snatches  of  reading  as  come  in  the  definite  pursuit  of  some 
object  of  researcli  incident  to  their  library  work,  supple- 
mented by  such  reading  time  as  unoccupied  evenings,  Sun- 
days, and  annual  vacations  may  give  them. 

Yet  nothing  is  more  common  than  for  ajjplicants  for  the 
position  of  librarians  or  assistant  librarians  to  base  their 
aspiration  upon  the  foolish  plea  that  they  are  "so  fond  of 
reading",  or  that  they  "have  always  been  in  love  with 
books."  So  far  from  this  being  a  qualification,  it  may  be- 
come a  disqualification.  Unless  combined  with  habits  of 
practical,  serious,  unremitting  application  to  labor,  the 
taste  for  reading  may  seduce  its  possessor  into  spending 
the  minutes  and  the  hours  which  belong  to  the  public,  in 
his  own  private  gratification.  The  conscientious,  the  use- 
ful librarian,  living  amid  the  rich  intellectual  treasures  of 
centuries,  the  vast  majority  of  which  he  has  never  read, 
must  be  content  daily  to  enact  the  part  of  Tantalus,  in  the 
presence  of  a  tempting  and  appetizing  banquet  which  is 
virtually  beyond  his  reach. 

But  lie  may  console  himself  by  the  reflection  that  com- 
paratively few  of  the  books  upon  his  shelves  are  so  far 
worth  reading  as  to  be  essential.  "If  I  had  read  as  many 
books  as  other  men,"  said  Hobbes  of  Malmesbury,  "I 
should  bave  been  as  ignorant  as  they." 

If  the  librarian,  in  the  precious  time  which  is  indisputa- 
bly his,  reads  a  wise  selection  of  the  best  books,  the  master- 
pieces of  the  literature  of  all  lands,  which  have  been  con- 
secrated by  time  and  the  sufTrages  of  t;uccossive  gonora- 
tions  of  readers,  he  can  well  afTf)rd  to  apply  to  the  rest,  the 


244  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

short -hand  method  recommended  in  a  former  chapter,  and 
skim  them  in  the  intervals  of  his  daily  work,  instead  of 
reiulin<]:  thoni.  Thus  he  will  become  sulTieiently  familiar 
with  the  new  books  of  the  day  (together  with  the  informa- 
tion about  their  contents  and  merits  furnished  by  the  liter- 
ary reviews,  which  ho  must  read,  however  sparingly,  in 
order  to  keep  u\)  with  his  profession)  to  be  able  to  furnish 
readers  with  some  word  of  comment  as  to  most  books  com- 
ing into  the  Library.  This  course,  or  as  close  an  approxi- 
mation to  it  as  his  multifarious  duties  will  permit,  will  go 
far  to  solve  the  problem  that  confronts  every  librarian  who 
is  expected  to  be  an  exponent  of  universal  knowledge. 
Always  refraining  from  unqualified  praise  of  books  (espe- 
cially of  new  ones)  always  maintaining  that  impartial  atti- 
tude toward  men  and  opinions  which  becomes  the  li- 
brarian, he  should  act  the  part  of  a  liberal,  eclectic,  catho- 
lic guide  to  inquirers  of  every  kind. 

And  here  let  me  emphasize  the  great  importance  to  every 
librarian  or  assistant  of  early  learning  to  make  the  most 
of  his  working  faculties.  He  cannot  afford  to  plod  along 
through  a  book,  sentence  by  sentence,  like  an  ordinary 
reader.  He  must  learn  to  read  a  sentence  at  a  glance. 
The  moment  his  eye  lights  upon  a  title-page  he  should  be 
able  to  take  it  all  in  by  a  comprehensive  and  intuitive 
mental  process.  Too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the 
every -day  habit  or  method  of  reading.  It  makes  all  the 
difference  between  time  saved,  and  time  wasted;  between 
efficiency  and  inefficiency;  between  rapid  progress  and 
standing  still,  in  one's  daily  work.  No  pains  should  be 
spared,  before  entering  upon  the  all-engrossing  work  of  a 
library,  to  acquire  the  habit  of  rapid  reading.  An  eminent 
librarian  of  one  of  the  largest  libraries  was  asked  whether 
he  did  not  find  a  great  deal  of  time  to  read?  His  reply 
was — "I  wish  that  I  could  ever  get  as  much  as  one  hour 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF    A    LIBEAEIAX.  245 

a  day  for  reading — but  I  have  never  been  able  to  do  it." 
Of  course  every  librarian  must  spend  much  time  in  special 
researches;  and  in  this  way  a  good  deal  of  some  of  his  days 
will  be  spent  in  acquainting  himself  with  the  resources  of 
his  library;  but  this  is  incidental  and  not  systematic  read- 
ing. 

In  viewing  the  essential  qualifications  of  a  librarian,  it 
is  necessary  to  say  at  the  outset  that  a  library  is  no  place 
for  uneducated  people.  The  requirements  of  the  position 
are  such  as  to  demand  not  only  native  talent  above  the 
average,  but  also  intellectual  acquirements  above  the  aver- 
age. The  more  a  librarian  knows,  the  more  he  is  worth, 
and  the  converse  of  the  proposition  is  equally  true,  that  the 
less  he  knows  the  less  he  is  worth.  Before  undertaking 
the  arduous  task  of  guiding  others  in  their  intellectual  pur- 
suits, one  should  make  sure  that  he  is  himself  so  well- 
grounded  in  learning  that  he  can  find  the  way  in  which  to 
guide  tliem.  To  do  this,  he  must  indispensably  have  some- 
thing more  than  a  smattering  of  the  knowledge  that  lies  at 
the  foundation  of  his  profession.  He  must  be,  if  not  widely 
read,  at  least  carefully  grounded  in  history,  science,  litera- 
ture, and  art.  While  he  may  not,  like  Lord  Bacon,  take 
all  knowledge  to  be  his  province,  because  he  is  not  a  Lord 
Bacon,  nor  if  he  were,  could  he  begin  to  grasp  the  illimita- 
ble domain  of  books  of  science  and  literature  which  have 
been  added  to  human  knowledge  in  the  two  centuries  and 
a  lialf  since  Bacon  wrote,  he  can  at  least,  by  wise  selection, 
master  enough  of  the  leading  works  in  each  field,  to  make 
liim  a  well-informed  scholar.  That  great  treasury  of  in- 
formation on  the  whole  circle  of  the  sciences,  and  the 
entire  range  of  literature,  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica, 
judiciously  studied,  will  alone  give  what  would  appear  to 
the  average  mind,  a  very  liberal  education. 

One  of  the  most  common  and  most  inconsiderate  ques- 


246  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

lions  propounded  to  a  librarian  is  this:  "Do  you  ever  ex- 
pect to  read  all  these  books  through?''  and  it  is  well  an- 
swered by  propounding  another  question,  namely — "Did 
t/ou  ever  read  your  dictionary  through?"  A  great  li])rary 
is  the  scholar's  dictionary — not  to  be  read  through,  but  to 
enable  him  to  put  his  finger  on  the  fact  he  wants,  just 
when  it  is  wanted. 

A  knowledge  of  some  at  least  of  the  foreign  languages 
is  indispensable  to  the  skilled  librarian.  In  fact,  any  one 
aspiring  to  become  an  assistant  in  any  large  library,  or  the 
head  of  any  small  one,  should  first  acquire  at  least  an  ele- 
mentary knowledge  of  French  and  Latin.  Aside  from 
books  in  other  languages  than  English  which  necessarily 
form  part  of  every  considerable  library,  there  are  innumer- 
able quotations  or  words  in  foreign  tongues  scattered 
through  books  and  periodicals  in  English, which  a  librarian, 
appealed  to  by  readers  who  are  not  scholars,  would  be  mor- 
tified if  found  unable  to  interpret  them.  The  librarian 
who  does  not  understand  several  languages  will  be  con- 
tinually at  a  loss  in  his  daily  work.  A  great  many  im- 
portant catalogues,  and  bibliographies,  essential  parts  of 
the  equipment  of  a  library,  will  be  lost  to  him  as  aids,  and 
he  can  neither  select  foreign  books  intelligently  nor  cata- 
logue them  properly.  If  he  depends  upon  the  aid  of 
others  more  expert,  his  position  will  be  far  from  agreeable 
or  satisfactory.  How  many  and  what  foreign  languages 
should  be  learned  may  be  matter  for  wide  difference  of 
opinion.  But  so  far-reaching  is  the  prevalence  of  the 
Latin,  as  one  of  the  principal  sources  of  our  own  language, 
and  of  other  modern  tongues,  that  a  knowledge  of  it  is 
most  important.  And  so  rich  is  the  literature  of  France, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  vast  number  of  French  words  con- 
stantly found  in  current  English  and  American  books  and 
periodicals,  that  at  least  a  fairly  thorough  mastery  of  that 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF    A    LIBRARIAX.  247 

language  should  be  acquired.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
the  German,  which  is  even  more  important  in  some  parts 
of  the  United  States,  and  which  has  a  literature  most 
copious  and  valuable  in  every  varied  department  of  knowl- 
edge. With  these  three  tongues  once  familiar,  the  Italian, 
Spanish,  Portuguese,  Dutch,  and  Scandinavian  languages 
may  be,  through  the  aid  of  dictionaries,  so  far  utilized  as 
to  enable  one  to  read  titles  and  catalogue  books  in  any  of 
them,  although  a  knowledge  of  all,  so  as  to  be  able  to  read 
books  in  them,  is  highly  desirable. 

In  the  Boston  Public  Librar}^  the  assistants  are  re- 
quired to  possess  an  adequate  knowledge  of  Latin,  French, 
and  German.  And  all  candidates  for  positions  in  the 
reading-room  of  the  British  Museum  Library  must  under- 
go a  thorough  test  examination  as  to  their  knowledge  of 
the  Latin  language.  Opportunities  for  acquiring  foreign 
languages  are  now  so  abundant  that  there  is  small  excuse 
for  any  one  who  wants  to  know  French,  Latin  or  German, 
and  yet  goes  through  life  without  learning  them.  There 
are  even  ways  of  learning  these  languages  with  sul!icient 
thoroughness  for  reading  purposes  without  a  teaclier,  and 
sometimes  witliout  a  text-book.  Two  assistant  librarians 
taught  themselves  French  and  German  in  their  evening.-;, 
by  setting  out  to  read  familiar  works  of  English  fiction 
in  translations  into  those  languages,  and  soon  acquired  a 
good  working  knowledge  of  both,  so  as  to  l)c  al)le  to  read 
any  work  in  either,  with  only  occasional  aid  from  the  dic- 
tionary for  the  less  common  words.  It  is  surprising  how 
soon  one  can  acquire  a  sufficient  vocaliulary  in  any  lan- 
guage, by  reading  any  of  its  great  writers.  A  good  way 
for  a  beginner  to  learn  French  without  a  master  is  to  take 
a  French  Xew  Testament,  and  read  the  four  Gospels 
through.  After  doing  Ibis  three  or  four  times,  almost  any 
one  who  is  at  all  familiar  with  the  Scriptures,  will  be  able 


248  A    BOOK    FOR    ALT,    READERS. 

to  read  most  books  in  the  French  language  with  facility. 
In  the  great  art  of  learning,  all  doors  are  easily  unlocked — 
by  those  who  have  the  key. 

It  should  go  without  saying  that  the  librarian  should 
possess  a  wide  knowledge  of  books.  This  knowledge  should 
include  (1)  an  acquaintance  with  ancient  and  modern  lit- 
erature, so  as  to  be  able  to  characterize  the  notable  writers 
in  each  of  the  leading  languages  of  the  world;  (2)  a  knowl- 
edge of  history  extensive  enough  to  enable  him  to  locate 
all  the  great  characters,  including  authors,  in  their  proper 
century  and  country;  (3)  a  knowledge  of  editions,  so  as  to 
discriminate  between  the  old  and  the  new,  the  full  and 
the  abridged,  the  best  edited,  best  printed,  etc.;  (4)  an 
acquaintance  with  the  intrinsic  value  or  the  subject  and 
scope  of  most  of  the  great  books  of  the  world ;  (5)  a  knowl- 
edge of  commercial  values,  so  as  to  be  able  to  bid  or  to  buy 
understandingly,  and  with  proper  economy;  (6)  a  familiar- 
ity with  what  constitutes  condition  in  library  books,  and 
with  binding  and  repairing  processes,  for  the  restoration 
of  imperfect  volumes  for  use. 

The  librarian  should  be  one  who  has  had  the  benefit  of 
thorough  preliminary  training,  for  no  novice  is  qualified  to 
undertake  the  role  of  an  expert,  and  any  attempt  to  do  so 
can  result  only  in  disappointment  and  failure.  Xo  ono 
who  has  read  little  or  nothing  but  novels  since  leaving 
school  need  ever  hope  to  succeed. 

ISTo  librarian  can  know  too  much,  since  his  work  brings 
him  into  relation  with  the  boundless  domain  of  human 
knowledge.  He  should  not  be  a  specialist  in  science  (ex- 
cept in  the  one  science  of  bibliography)  but  must  be  con- 
tent with  knowing  a  little  about  a  great  many  things, rather 
than  knowing  everything  about  one  thing.  Much  converse 
with  books  must  fill  him  with  a  sense  of  his  own  ignorance. 
The  more  he  comes  to  know,  the  wider  will  open  before 


QrALIFICATIOXS    OF   A    LIBRABIAN.  249 

him  the  illimitable  realm  of  what  is  yet  to  be  known.  In 
the  lowest  deep  which  research  the  most  profound  can 
reach,  there  is  a  lower  deep  still  unattained — perhaps,  even, 
unattainable.  But  the  fact  that  he  cannot  by  any  possi- 
bility master  all  human  knowledge  should  not  deter  the 
student  from  making  ever  advancing  inroads  upon  that  do- 
main. The  vast  extent  of  the  world  of  books  only  empha- 
sizes the  need  of  making  a  wise  selection  from  the  mass. 
V^^e  are  brought  inevitably  back  to  that  precept  by  every 
excursion  that  we  make  into  whatever  field  of  literature. 

The  librarian  should  possess,  besides  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance with  books,  a  faculty  of  administration,  and  this  rests 
upon  careful  business  habits.  He  should  have  a  system  in 
all  the  library  work.  Every  assistant  should  have  a  pre- 
scribed task,  and  be  required  to  learn  and  to  practice  all 
the  methods  peculiar  to  library  economy,  including  the 
economy  of  time.  Each  day's  business  should  be  so  organ- 
ized as  to  show  an  advance  at  the  end.  The  library  must 
of  course  have  rules,  and  every  rule  should  be  so  simple 
and  so  reasonable  that  it  will  commend  itself  to  every  con- 
siderate reader  or  library  assistant.  All  questions  of  doubt 
or  dispute  as  to  the  observance  of  any  regulation,  should 
be  decided  at  once,  courteously  but  firmly,  and  in  a  few 
words.  N^othing  can  be  more  unseemly  than  a  wrangle 
in  a  public  library  over  some  rule  or  its  application,  dis- 
turbing readers  who  are  entitled  to  silence,  and  consuming 
time  that  should  be  given  to  the  service  of  the  public. 

When  Thomas  Carlj'le,  one  of  the  great  scholars  of  mod- 
ern times,  testified  in  1848  before  a  Parliamentary  Com- 
mission upon  the  British  Musouni  T>ibrary,  he  thus  spoke 
of  tlio  qualifications  of  a  librarian  : 

"All  must  df'ix'nd  upon  the  kind  of  manngoTnont  you  get 
within  the  library  itself.  You  must  get  a  good  pilot  to 
stf'or  the  ship,  or  you  will  never  get  into  the  harbor.     You 


250  A  ROOK  von  all  headers. 

must  liave  a  man  to  direct  wlio  knows  well  what  the  duty 
is  that  he  has  to  do,  and  who  is  determined  to  go  tlirough 
that,  in  si)ite  of  all  clamor  raised  against  him;  and  who 
is  not  anxious  to  ohtain  approhation,  but  is  satisfied  that 
he  will  ohtain  it  by  and  by,  provided  he  acts  ingenuously 
and  faithfully." 

Another  quality  most  important  in  a  librarian  is  an  even 
temper.  lie  should  be  always  and  unfailingly  courteous, 
not  only  to  scholars  and  visitors  of  high  consideration,  but 
to  every  reader,  however  humble  or  ignorant,  and  to  every 
employee,  however  subordinate  in  position.  There  is 
nothing  which  more  detracts  from  one's  usefulness  than 
a  querulous  temper.  Its  possessor  is  seldom  happy  him- 
self, and  is  the  frequent  cause  of  unhappiness  in  others. 
Visitors  and  questions  should  never  be  met  with  a  clouded 
brow.  A  cheerful  "good-morning"  goes  a  great  way  often- 
times. Many  library  visitors  come  in  a  complaining  mood 
— it  may  be  from  long  waiting  to  be  served,  or  from  mis- 
take in  supplying  them  with  the  wrong  books,  or  from 
errors  in  charging  their  accounts,  or  from  some  fancied 
neglect  or  slight,  or  from  any  other  cause.  The  way  to 
meet  such  ill-humored  or  offended  readers  is  to  gently 
explain  the  matter,  with  that  "soft  answer  which  turneth 
away  wrath."  ]\Iany  a  foolish  and  useless  altercation  may 
thus  be  avoided,  and  the  complainant  restored  to  cheerful- 
ness, if  not  to  courtesy;  whereas,  if  the  librarian  were  to 
meet  the  case  with  a  sharp  or  haughty  answer,  it  would 
probably  end  without  satisfaction  on  either  side.  What- 
ever you  do,  never  permit  yourself  to  be  irritable,  and  re- 
solve never  to  be  irritated.  It  will  make  you  unhappy, 
and  will  breed  irritation  in  others.  Cheerfulness  under 
all  circumstances,  however  difficult,  is  the  duty  and  the 
interest  of  the  librarian.  Thus  he  will  cultivate  success- 
fully an  obliging  disposition,  which  is  a  prime  requisite 


QUALIFICATIOXS    OF    A    LIBRARIAN.  251 

to  his  success  with  the  public  aud  his  usefulness  as  a  li- 
brarian. 

It  ought  not  to  be  requisite  to  insist  upon  good  health 
as  a  condition  precedent  for  any  one  aspiring  to  be  a  li- 
brarian. So  very  much  depends  upon  this,  that  it  should 
form  a  part  of  the  conscientious  duty  of  every  one  to 
acquire  and  maintain  a  sound  condition  of  physical  health, 
as  a  most  important  adjunct  of  a  thoroughly  sound  and 
healthy  condition  of  the  mind.  This  is  easier  than  most 
persons  are  aware.  If  we  except  inherited  constitutional 
weaknesses,  or  maladies  of  a  serious  character,  there  is 
almost  no  one  who  is  not  able  by  proper  diet,  regimen,  and 
daily  exercise,  to  maintain  a  degree  of  health  which  will 
enable  him  to  use  his  brain  to  its  full  working  capacity. 
It  demands  an  intelligent  and  watchful  care  of  the  daily 
regimen,  so  that  only  simple  and  wholesome  food  and  drink 
may  be  taken  into  the  system,  and  what  is  equally  import- 
ant, adequate  sleep,  and  habitual  moderate  exercise.  No 
one  can  maintain  perfect  health  without  breathing  good 
unadulterated  air,  and  exercising  in  it  with  great  fre- 
quency. One's  walks  to  and  from  the  library  may  be  suf- 
ficient to  give  this,  and  it  is  well  to  have  the  motive  of  such 
a  walk,  since  exercise  taken  for  the  mere  purpose  of  it  is  of 
far  less  value.  The  habit  of  taking  drugs,  or  going  to  a 
doctor  for  every  little  malady,  is  most  pernicious.  Every 
one,  and  especially  a  librarian,  who  is  supposed  (however 
erroneously)  to  know  everything,  should  know  more  of  his 
own  constitution  than  any  physician.  With  a  few  judi- 
cious experiments  in  daily  regimen,  and  a  little  abstinence 
now  and  then,  ho  can  subdue  head-aches,  catarrhs  and  di- 
gestive troubles,  and  by  exercising  an  intelligent  will,  can 
generally  prevent  their  recurrence.  If  one  finds  himself 
in  the  morning  in  a  state  of  languor  and  lassitude,  be  sure 
he  has  abused  some  physical  function,  and  apply  a  remedy. 


252  A    HOOK    FOH    ALL    READERS. 

An  invalid  will  make  a  poorly  equipped  librarian.  How 
can  a  dyspeptic  who  dwells  in  the  darkness  of  a  disease,  be 
a  guiding  light  to  the  multitudes  who  beset  him  every 
hour?  There  are  few  callings  demanding  as  much  mental 
and  physical  soundness  and  alertness  as  the  care  of  a  public 
library. 

Sound  common  sense  is  as  essential  to  the  librarian 
as  sound  health.  He  should  always  take  the  practical 
straightforward  view  of  every  item  of  library  business  and 
management,  remembering  that  the  straight  road  is  always 
the  shortest  way  between  two  points.  While  he  may  be  full 
of  ideas,  he  should  be  neither  an  idealist  nor  a  dreamer. 
In  library  methods,  the  cardinal  requisites  to  be  aimed 
at,  are  utility  and  convenience.  A  person  of  the  most  per- 
fect education,  and  the  highest  literary  attainments,  but 
destitute  of  common  sense,  will  not  succeed  in  the  conduct 
of  a  library.  That  intuitive  Judgment,  which  sees  the 
reason  of  everything  at  a  glance,  and  applies  the  proper 
agencies  to  the  case  in  hand,  is  wanting  in  his  composi- 
tion. Multitudes  of  emergencies  arise  in  library  service, 
where  the  prompt  and  practical  sense  of  the  librarian  is 
required  to  settle  a  dispute,  adjust  a  difficulty,  or  to  direct 
what  is  to  be  done  in  some  arrangement  or  re-arrangement 
of  books,  or  some  library  appliance  or  repair.  In  such 
cases,  the  unpractical  or  impracticable  man  will  be  very 
likely  to  decide  wrongly,  choosing  the  inconvenient  method 
instead  of  the  convenient,  the  more  costly  instead  of  the 
more  economical,  the  laborious  in  place  of  the  obvious  and 
easy;  in  short,  some  way  of  doing  the  work  or  settling  the 
difficulty  which  will  not  permit  it  to  stay  settled,  or  will 
require  the  work  to  be  done  over  again.  The  man  of 
common-sense  methods,  on  the  other  hand,  will  at  once 
see  the  end  from  the  beginning,  anticipate  every  difficulty, 
and  decide  upon  the  proper  course  without  trouble  or  hesi- 


QUALIFICATIOXS    OF    A    LIBEARIAX.  253 

tation,  finding  his  judgment  fully  vindicated  by  the  result. 

The  librarian  in  whom  the  quality  of  common  sense  is 
«-ell  developed  will  be  ever  ready  to  devise  or  to  accept 
improvements  in  library  methods.  Xever  a  slave  to  "red 
tape/'  he  will  promptly  cut  it  wherever  and  whenever  it 
stands  in  the  way  of  the  readiest  service  of  books  and  in- 
formation to  all  comers. 

Another  quality  which  every  librarian  or  assistant  in  a 
library  should  possess  is  a  thorough  love  of  his  work.  He 
should  cherish  a  noble  enthusiasm  for  the  success  and  use- 
fulness of  the  institution  with  which  he  has  chosen  to  be 
associated.  Xor  should  this  spirit  be  by  any  means  limited 
to  the  literary  and  scientific  aid  which  he  is  enabled  to 
extend  to  others,  nor  to  the  acquisition  of  the  knowledge 
requisite  to  meet  the  endless  inquiries  that  are  made  of 
him.  He  should  take  as  much  interest  in  restoring  a 
broken  binding,  or  in  seeing  that  a  torn  leaf  is  repaired, 
as  in  informing  a  great  scholar  what  the  library  contains 
upon  any  subject. 

Xo  one  who  is  listless  or  indifferent  in  the  discharge  of 
daily  duties  is  fit  for  a  place  in  a  public  library.  There 
should  be  an  esprit  de  corps,  a  zeal  for  his  profession,  which 
will  lead  him  to  make  almost  any  sacrifice  of  outside  inter- 
ests to  become  proficient  in  it.  Thus  only  will  he  render 
himself  indispensable  in  his  place,  and  do  the  greatest 
amount  of  service  to  the  greatest  number  of  readers.  I 
have  seen  employees  in  libraries  so  utterly  careless  of  what 
belongs  to  their  vocation,  as  to  let  books,  totally  unfit  for 
use,  ragged  or  broken,  or  with  plates  loosened,  ready  to 
drop  out  and  disappear,  go  back  to  the  shelves  unrepaired, 
to  pursue  the  downward  road  toward  destruction.  And  I 
have  been  in  many  libraries  in  which  the  books  upon  the 
shelves  exhibited  such  utter  want  of  care,  such  disarrange- 
ment, such  tumbling  about  and  upside-down  chaos,  and 


254  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

such  want  of  cleanliness,  as  fairly  to  make  one's  heart 
ache.  In  some  cases  this  may  have  been  due  in  great  part 
to  unwise  free  admission  of  the  public  to  the  shelves,  and 
consequent  inevitable  disorder;  in  others,  it  may  be  par- 
tially excused  by  the  librarian's  absolute  want  of  the  need- 
ful help  or  time,  to  keep  the  library  in  order;  but  in  others, 
it  was  too  apparent  that  the  librarian  in  charge  took  no  in- 
terest in  the  condition  of  the  books.  Too  many  librarians 
(at  least  of  the  past,  however  it  may  now  be)  have  been  of 
the  class  described  by  Dr.  Poole,  the  Chicago  librarian. 
He  said  that  library  trustees  too  often  appeared  to  think 
that  anybody  almost  would  do  for  a  librarian;  men  who 
have  failed  in  everything  else,  broken-down  clergymen,  or 
unsuccessful  teachers,  and  the  like. 

Passing  now  to  other  needful  qualifications  of  librarians 
and  library  assistants,  let  me  say  that  one  of  the  foremost 
is  accuracy.  Perhaps  I  have  before  this  remarked  that 
exact  accuracy  is  one  of  the  rarest  of  human  qualities. 
Even  an  approximation  to  it  is  rare,  and  absolute  accuracy 
is  still  rarer.  Beware  of  the  person  who  is  sure  of  every 
thing — who  retails  to  you  a  conversation  he  has  heard, 
affecting  to  give  the  exact  words  of  a  third  person,  or  who 
quotes  passages  in  verse  or  in  prose,  with  glib  assurance, 
as  the  production  of  some  well-known  writer.  The  chances 
are  ten  to  one  that  the  conversation  is  mainly  manufac- 
tured in  the  brain  of  the  narrator,  and  that  the  quotation 
is  either  not  written  by  the  author  to  whom  it  is  attributed, 
or  else  is  a  travesty  of  his  real  language.  It  is  Lord  Byron 
who  tells  of  that  numerous  class  of  sciolists  whom  one  finds 
everywhere — 

"With  just  enough  of  learning  to  misquote." 

The  books  one  reads  abound  in  erroneous  dates,  mis- 
taken names,  garbled  extracts,  and  blundering  quotations. 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF   A    LIBRARIAN.  255 

So  much  the  more  important  is  it  to  the  librarian,  who  is 
so  continuall}'  drawn  upon  for  correct  information  upon 
ever)'  subject,  to  make  sure  of  his  facts,  before  communi- 
cating them.  When  (as  frequentl}'  happens)  he  has  no 
way  of  verif3'ing  them,  he  should  report  them,  not  as  his 
own  conclusions,  but  on  the  authority  of  the  book  or  peri- 
odical where  found.  This  will  relieve  him  of  all  respon- 
sibility, if  they  turn  out  to  be  erroneous.  Whenever  I 
fmd  a  wrong  date  or  name  in  a  printed  book,  or  an  errone- 
ous reference  in  the  index,  or  a  mis-spelled  word,  I  always 
pencil  the  correct  date,  or  name,  or  page  of  reference  in 
the  margin.  This  I  do  as  a  matter  of  instinct,  as  well  as 
of  duty,  for  the  benefit  of  future  inquirers,  so  that  they 
may  not  be  misled.  I  speak  here  of  errors  which  are  pal- 
pable, or  of  the  inaccuracy  of  which  I  have  positive  knowl- 
edge; if  in  doubt,  I  either  let  the  matter  go  entirely, 
or  write  a  query  in  pencil  at  the  place,  with  the  presumed 
correct  substitute  appended. 

Never  be  too  sure  of  wdiat  you  find  in  books;  but  prove 
all  things  and  hold  fast  to  those  only  which  you  find  to  be 
beyond  dispute.  Thus  will  you  save  yourself  from  falling 
into  many  errors,  and  from  recanting  many  opinions.  It 
is  the  method  of  ordinary  education  to  take  everything  for 
granted;  it  is  the  method  of  science  to  take  nothing  for 
granted. 

I  may  refer  here  to  another  rule  always  to  be  observed, 
and  pertaining  to  the  theme  of  strict  accuracy  in  your  daily 
work.  That  is,  the  necessity  of  carefully  examining  every 
piece  of  work  you  may  have  done,  before  it  leaves  your 
hands,  for  the  purpose  of  correcting  errors.  All  of  us  are 
not  only  liable  to  make  mistakes,  but  all  of  us  do  luako 
them ;  and  if  any  one  has  a  conceit  of  his  own  accuracy,  the 
surest  way  to  take  it  out  of  him  is  to  let  him  serve  an  ap- 


256  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

prenticeship  in  some  library,  where  there  is  competent  re- 
vision of  all  the  labor  performed.  There  are  multitudes  of 
assistants  in  libraries  who  cannot  write  a  letter,  even, 
without  making  one  or  more  errors.  How  often  do 
you  leave  out  a  word  in  your  writing  experience,  which 
may  change  the  meaning  of  a  whole  sentence?  So,  in 
writing  titles,  whether  for  the  catalogue,  or  for  a  li- 
brary order,  or  for  the  infonnation  of  some  inquirer,  you 
are  liable  to  make  errors  of  date,  or  edition,  or  place  of 
publication,  or  size,  or  to  misplace  or  omit  or  substitute 
some  word  in  the  description  of  the  book.  There  is  noth- 
ing in  the  w^orld  quite  so  easy  as  to  be  mistaken:  and 
the  only  remedy  (and  it  is  an  all-essential  one)  is  to  go 
over  every  line  and  every  word  of  what  you  have  written, 
before  it  leaves  your  hands.  As  second  thoughts  are  pro- 
verbially best,  so  a  second  careful  glance  over  a  piece 
of  writing  will  almost  always  reveal  some  error  or  omis- 
sion to  be  corrected.  Think  of  the  mortification  you 
must  feel  at  finding  an  unverified  piece  of  work  returned 
upon  your  hands,  with  several  glaring  mistakes  marked 
by  the  reviser!  Think,  on  the  other  hand,  of  the  in- 
ward satisfaction  experienced  when  you  have  done  your 
best,  "written  and  revised  your  own  work,  and  found  it  al- 
ways passed  as  perfect.  I  have  tried  many  persons  by 
many  tests,  and  while  I  have  found  a  great  number  who 
were  industrious,  intelligent,  zealous,  conscientious,  good- 
tempered,  and  expeditious,  I  have  found  scarcely  one  who 
was  always  accurate.  One  of  the  rarest  things  in  a  library 
is  to  find  an  assistant  who  has  an  unerring  sense  of  the 
French  accents.  This  knowledge,  to  one  expert  in  that 
language,  even  if  he  does  not  speak  it,  should  be  as  in- 
tuitive as  the  art  of  spelling  correctly,  either  in  English 
or  French.     He  should  write  the  proper  accent  over  a 


QUALIFICATIOXS    OF   A    LIBRARIAN.  257 

letter  just  as  infallibly  as  he  writes  the  proper  letters  in  a 
word.  But,  strange  to  sa}',  it  is  very  common,  even  with 
good  French  scholars  (in  the  book-sense  or  literary  sense 
of  scholarship)  to  find  them  putting  the  acute  accent  for 
the  grave  over  a  vowel,  or  the  grave  instead  of  the  acute, 
or  omitting  the  circumflex  accent  entirely,  and  so  on. 

Every  one  commits  errors,  but  the  wise  man  is  he  who 
learns  by  his  mistakes,  and  applies  the  remedy.  The  best 
remedy  (as  I  said  in  the  case  of  memory  in  another  chap- 
ter,) is  to  cultivate  a  habit  of  trained  attention  in  what- 
ever we  do.  Yet  many  people  (and  I  am  afraid  we  must 
say  most  people)  go  on  through  life,  making  the  same 
blunders,  and  repeating  them.  It  appears  as  if  the  habit 
of  inaccuracy  were  innate  in  the  human  race,  and  only  to 
be  reformed  by  the  utmost  painstaking,  and  even  with  the 
aid  of  that,  only  by  a  few.  I  have  had  to  observe  and 
correct  such  numberless  errors  in  the  work  of  well- 
educated,  adult,  and  otherwise  accomplished  persons,  as 
filled  me  with  despair.  Yet  there  is  no  more  doubt  of  the 
improvability  of  the  average  mind,  however  inaccurate 
at  the  start,  than  of  the  power  of  the  will  to  correct  other 
bad  habits  into  which  people  unconsciously  fall. 

One  of  the  requisites  of  a  successful  librarian  is  a  faculty 
of  order  and  system,  applied  throughout  all  the  details  of 
library  administration.  "Without  these,  the  work  will  be 
])('rformed  in  a  hap-hazard,  slovenly  manner,  and  the  li- 
])rary  itself  will  tend  to  become  a  chaos.  Bear  in  mind  the 
great  extent  and  variety  of  the  objects  which  come  under 
the  care  of  the  librarian,  all  of  which  arc  to  be  classified 
and  reduced  to  order.  These  include  not  only  books  upon 
every  earthly  subject  (and  very  many  upon  unearthly  ones) 
but  a  possibly  wide  range  of  newspapers  and  periodicals,  a 
great  mass  of  miscellaneous  luiinplilcts,  sometimes  of  maps 
and  charts,  of  manuscripis  and  broadsides,  and  frequently 


258  A  HOOK  FOR  all  readers. 

collections  of  engravin<rf^,  photograijlis,  and  other  pictures, 
all  of  which  come  in  to  form  a  part  of  most  libraries.  This 
great  complexity  of  material,  too,  exhibits  only  the  physi- 
cal aspect  of  the  librarian's  labors.  There  are,  besides,  the 
preparation,  arrangement  and  continuation  of  the  cata- 
logue, in  its  three  or  more  forms,  the  charging  and  credit- 
ing of  the  books  in  circulation,  the  searching  of  many  book 
lists  for  purchases,  the  library  bills  and  accounts,  the  super- 
vision and  revision  of  the  work  of  assistants,  the  library 
correspondence,  often  requiring  wide  researches  to  answer 
inquiries,  the  continual  aid  to  readers,  and  a  multitude  of 
minor  objects  of  attention  quite  too  numerous  to  name. 
Is  it  any  over-statement  of  the  case  to  say  that  the  librarian 
Avho  has  to  organize  and  provide  for  all  this  physical  and 
intellectual  labor,  should  be  systematic  and  orderly  in  a 
high  degree? 

That  portion  of  his  responsible  task  which  pertains  to 
the  arrangement  and  classification  of  books  has  been  else- 
where treated.  But  there  is  required  in  addition,  a  fac- 
ulty of  arranging  his  time,  so  as  to  meet  seasonably  the 
multifarious  drafts  upon  it.  He  should  early  learn  not 
only  the  supreme  value  of  moments,  but  how  to  make  all 
the  library  hours  fruitful  of  results.  To  this  end  the  time 
should  be  apportioned  with  careful  reference  to  each  de- 
partment of  library  service.  One  hour  may  be  set  for  re- 
vising one  kind  of  work  of  assistants;  another  for  a  differ- 
ent one;  another  for  perusing  sale  catalogues,  and  marking 
desiderata  to  be  looked  up  in  the  library  catalogue ;  another 
for  researches  in  aid  of  readers  or  correspondents ;  still  an- 
other for  answering  letters  on  the  many  subjects  about 
which  librarians  are  constantly  addressed;  and  still  another 
for  a  survey  of  all  the  varied  interests  of  the  library  and  its 
frequenters,  to  see  what  features  of  the  service  need 
strengthening,   what   improvements  can  be   made,   what 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF   A    LIBKARIAX.  259 

errors  corrected,  and  how  its  general  usefulness  can  be  in- 
creased. So  to  apportion  one's  time  as  to  get  out  of  the 
day  (which  is  all  too  short  for  what  is  to  be  done  in  it)  the 
utmost  of  accomplishment  is  a  problem  requiring  much 
skill,  as  well  as  the  ability  to  profit  by  experience.  One  has 
always  to  be  subject  to  interruptions — and  these  must  be 
allowed  for,  and  in  some  way  made  up  for.  Eemember, 
when  you  have  lost  valuable  time  with  some  visitor  whose 
claims  to  your  attention  are  paramount,  that  when  to-mor- 
row comes  one  should  take  up  early  the  arrears  of  work 
postponed,  and  make  progress  with  them,  even  though  un- 
able to  finish  them. 

Another  suggestion;  proper  system  in  the  management 
and  control  of  one's  time  demands  that  none  of  it  be  ab- 
sorbed by  trifles  or  triflers;  and  so  every  librarian  must  in- 
dispensably know  how  to  get  rid  of  bores.  One  may  al- 
most always  manage  to  effect  this  without  giving  offense, 
and  at  the  same  time  without  wasting  any  time  upon  them, 
which  is  the  one  thing  needful.  The  bore  is  commonly  one 
who,  having  little  or  nothing  to  do,  inflicts  himself  upon 
the  busy  persons  of  his  acquaintance,  and  especially  upon 
the  ones  whom  he  credits  with  knowing  the  most — to  wit, 
the  librarians.  Eeceive  him  courteously,  but  keep  on 
steadily  at  the  work  you  are  doing  when  he  enters.  If  you 
are  skilful,  you  can  easily  do  two  things  at  once,  for  exam- 
ple, answer  your  idler  friend  or  your  bore,  and  revise  title- 
cards,  or  mark  a  catalogue,  or  collate  a  book,  or  look  up  a 
quotation,  or  write  a  letter,  at  the  same  time.  Never  lose 
your  good  humor,  never  say  that  your  time  is  valuable,  or 
that  you  are  very  busy;  never  hint  at  his  going  away;  l)ut 
never  quit  your  work,  answer  questions  clieerfully,  and 
keep  on,  allowing  nothing  to  take  your  eyes  off  your  busi- 
ness. By  and  by  he  will  take  the  hint,  if  not  wholly 
pachydermatous,  and  go  away  of  his  own  accord.     By  pur- 


260  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

suing  this  course  I  have  saved  infinite  time,  and  got  rid  of 
infinite  bores,  by  one  and  the  same  process. 

The  faculty  of  organizing  one's  work  is  essential,  in  or- 
der to  efliciency  and  accomplishment.  If  you  do  not  have 
a  plan  and  adhere  to  it,  if  you  let  this,  that,  and  the  other 
person  interrupt  you  with  trifling  gossip,  or  unnecessary 
requests,  you  will  never  get  ahead  of  your  work;  on  the 
contrary,  your  work  will  always  get  ahead  of  you.  The 
same  result  will  follow  if  you  interrupt  yourself,  by  yield- 
ing to  the  temptation  of  reading  Just  a  page  or  a  paragraph 
of  something  that  attracts  your  eye  while  at  work.  This 
dissipation  of  time,  to  say  nothing  of  its  unfair  appropria- 
tion of  what  belongs  to  the  library,  defeats  the  prompt  ac- 
complishment of  the  work  in  hand,  and  fosters  the  evil 
habit  of  scattering  your  forces,  in  idleness  and  procrastina- 
tion. 

It  ought  not  to  be  needful  to  urge  habits  of  neatness  and 
the  love  of  order  upon  candidates  for  places  in  libraries. 
How  much  a  neat  and  carefully  arranged  shelf  of  books  ap- 
peals to  one's  taste,  I  need  not  say,  nor  urge  the  point  how 
much  an  orderly  and  neatly  kept  room,  or  desk,  or  table 
adds  to  one's  comfort.  The  librarian  who  has  the  proper 
spirit  of  his  calling  should  take  pains  to  make  the  whole 
library  look  neat  and  attractive,  to  have  a  place  for  every- 
thing, and  everything  in  its  place.  This,  with  adequate 
space  existing,  will  be  found  easier  than  to  have  the  books 
and  other  material  scattered  about  in  confusion,  thus  re- 
quiring much  more  time  to  find  them  when  wanted.  A 
slovenly-kept  library  is  certain  to  provoke  public  criticism, 
and  this  always  tells  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  librarian ; 
while  a  neatly  kept,  carefully  arranged  collection  of  books 
is  not  only  pleasing  to  the  eye,  but  elicits  favorable  judg- 
ment from  all  visitors. 

Among  the  qualities  that  should  enter  into  the  compo- 


QUALIFICATION'S    OF    A    LIBRARIAX.  261 

sition  of  a  successful  librarian  must  be  reckoned  an  inex- 
haustible patience.  He  will  be  sorely  tried  in  his  endeav- 
ors to  satisfy  his  own  ideals,  and  sometimes  still  more 
sorely  in  his  efforts  to  satisfy  the  public.  Against  the 
mistakes  and  short-comings  of  assistants,  the  ignorance  of 
many  readers,  and  the  unreasonable  expectations  of  others, 
the  hamperings  of  library  authorities,  and  the  frequently 
unfounded  criticisms  of  the  press,  he  should  arm  himself 
with  a  patience  and  equanimity  that  are  unfailing.  When 
he  knows  he  is  right,  he  should  never  be  disturbed  at  com- 
plaint, nor  suffer  a  too  sensitive  mood  to  ruffle  his  feelings. 
When  there  is  any  foundation  for  censure,  however  slight, 
he  should  learn  by  it  and  apply  the  remedy.  The  many 
and  varied  characters  who  come  within  the  comprehensive 
sphere  of  the  librarian  necessarily  include  people  of  all 
tempers  and  dispositions,  as  well  as  of  every  degree  of  cult- 
ure. To  be  gracious  and  courteous  to  all  is  his  interest 
as  well  as  his  duty.  With  the  ignorant  he  will  often  have 
to  exercise  a  vast  amount  of  patience,  but  he  should  never 
betray  a  supercilious  air,  as  thougli  looking  down  upon 
them  from  the  height  of  his  own  superior  intelligence.  To 
be  always  amiable  toward  inferiors,  superiors,  and  equals, 
is  to  conciliate  the  regard  of  all.  Courtesy  costs  so  little, 
and  makes  so  large  a  return  in  proportion  to  the  invest- 
ment, that  it  is  surprising  not  to  find  it  universal.  Yet 
it  is  so  far  from  being  so  that  we  hear  people  praising  one 
whose  manners  are  always  affable,  as  if  he  were  deserving 
of  special  credit  for  it,  as  an  exception  to  the  general  rule. 
It  is  frequently  observed  that  a  person  of  brusque  address 
or  crusty  speech  begets  crustiness  in  others.  Tliore  are 
suljtle  currents  of  feeling  in  human  intercourse,  not  easy 
to  define,  hui  none  the  less  potent  in  effect.  A  person  of 
marked  suavity  of  speech  and  })caring  radiates  about  liim 


262  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

all  atmosphere  of  good  humor,  which  insensibly  influences 
the  manners  and  the  speecli  of  others. 

There  will  often  come  into  a  public  library  a  man  whose 
whole  manner  is  aggressive  and  over-bearing,  who  acts  and 
talks  as  if  he  had  a  right  to  tlie  whole  place,  including  the 
librarian.  No  doubt,  being  a  citizen,  he  has  every  right,  ex- 
cept the  right  to  violate  the  rules — or  to  make  himself  dis- 
agreeable. The  way  to  meet  him  is  to  be  neither  aggress- 
ive, nor  submissive  and  deferential,  but  with  a  cool  and 
pleasant  courtesy,  ignoring  any  idea  of  unpleasant  feeling 
on  your  part.  You  will  thus  at  least  teach  a  lesson  in  good 
manners,  which  may  or  may  not  be  learned,  according  to 
circumstances  and  the  hopeful  or  hopeless  character  of  the 
pupil. 

Closely  allied  to  the  virtue  of  patience,  is  that  of  unfail- 
ing tact.  This  will  be  found  an  important  adjunct  in  the 
administration  of  a  public  library.  How  to  meet  the  in- 
numerable inquiries  made  of  him  with  just  the  proper  an- 
swer, saying  neither  too  much,  nor  too  little,  to  be  civil  to 
all,  without  needless  multiplication  of  words,  this  requires 
one  to  hold  his  faculties  well  in  hand,  never  to  forget  him- 
self, and  to  show  that  no  demand  whatever  can  vex  or  flus- 
ter him.  The  librarian  should  know  how,  or  learn  how  to 
adapt  himself  to  all  readers,  and  how  to  aid  their  researches 
without  devoting  much  time  to  each.  This  requires  a  fine 
quality  of  tact,  of  adapting  one's  self  quickly  to  the  varied 
circumstances  of  the  case  in  hand.  One  who  has  it  well 
developed  will  go  through  the  manifold  labors  and  inter- 
views and  annoyances  of  the  day  without  friction,  while 
one  who  is  without  tact  will  be  worried  and  fretted  until 
life  seems  to  him  a  burden. 

Need  I  mention,  after  all  that  has  been  said  of  the  exact- 
ing labors  that  continually  wait  upon  the  librarian,  that 
he  should  be  possessed  both  of  energy  and  untiring  Indus- 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF   A   LIBRARIAN.  263 

try?  By  the  very  nature  of  the  calling  to  which  he  is  dedi- 
cated, he  is  pledged  to  earnest  and  thorough  work  in  it. 
He  cannot  afford  to  be  a  trifler  or  a  loiterer  on  the  way,  but 
must  push  on  continually.  He  should  find  time  for  play, 
it  is  true,  and  for  reading  for  his  own  recreation  and  in- 
struction, but  that  time  should  be  out  of  library  hours. 
And  a  yigilant  and  determined  economy  of  time  in  library 
hours  will  be  found  a  prime  necessity.  I  have  dwelt  else- 
where upon  the  importance  of  choosing  the  shortest  meth- 
ods in  every  piece  of  work  to  be  accomplished.  Equally 
important  is  it  to  cultivate  economy  of  speech,  or  the  habit 
of  condensing  instructions  to  assistants,  and  answers  to  in- 
quiries into  the  fewest  words.  A  library  should  never  be 
a  circumlocution  office.  The  faculty  of  condensed  expres- 
sion, though  somewhat  rare,  can  be  cultivated. 

In  the  relations  existing  between  librarian  and  assistants 
there  should  be  mutual  confidence  and  support.  All  are 
equally  interested  in  the  credit  and  success  of  the  institu- 
tion which  engages  their  services,  and  all  should  labor  har- 
moniously to  that  end.  Loyalty  to  one's  employers  is  both 
the  duty  and  the  interest  of  the  employed :  and  the  recipro- 
cal duty  of  faithfulness  to  those  employed,  and  interest 
in  their  improvement  and  success  should  mark  the  inter- 
course of  the  librarian  with  his  assistants.  He  should 
never  be  too  old  nor  too  wise  to  learn,  and  should  welcome 
suggestions  from  every  intelligent  aid.  I  have  suggested 
the  importance  of  an  even  temper  in  the  relations  between 
]il)rarians  and  readers;  and  it  is  equally  important  as  be- 
tween all  those  associated  in  the  administration  of  a  li- 
ttrary.  Every  one  has  faults  and  weaknesses;  and  those 
encountered  in  others  will  be  viewed  with  the  most  charity 
by  those  who  are  duly  conscious  of  their  own.  Every  one 
makes  mistakes,  and  these  are  often  provoking  or  irritat- 
ing to  one  who  knows  better;  but  a  mild  and  pleasant  ex- 


264  A    BOOK    I'OR    ALL    READERS. 

planation  of  tlio  error  is  far  more  likely  to  lead  to  amend- 
ment, than  a  sharp  reproof,  leaving  hard  feeling  or  bitter- 
ness behind.  Under  no  circumstances  is  peevishness  or 
passion  justifiable.  Library  assistants  in  their  bearing  to- 
ward each  other,  sliould  suppress  all  feelings  of  censorious- 
ness,  fault-finding  or  jealousy,  if  tliey  have  them,  in  favor 
of  civility  and  good  manners,  if  not  of  good  fellowship. 
They  are  all  public  servants  engaged  in  a  common  cause, 
aiming  at  the  enlightenment  and  improvement  of  the  com- 
munity; they  should  cherish  a  just  pride  in  being  selected 
for  this  great  service,  and  to  help  one  another  in  every  step 
of  the  work,  should  be  their  golden  rule.  Everything 
should  be  done  for  the  success  and  usefulness  of  the  li- 
brary, and  all  personal  considerations  should  be  merged  in 
public  ones. 

Turning  now  to  what  remains  of  suggestion  regarding 
the  qualitieswhich  should  enter  into  the  character,  or  form 
a  part  of  the  equipment  of  a  librarian,  let  me  urge  the  im- 
portance of  his  possessing  a  truly  liberal  and  impartial 
mind.  It  is  due  to  all  who  frequent  a  public  library  to 
find  all  those  in  charge  ready  and  willing  to  aid  their  re- 
searches in  whatever  direction  they  may  lie.  Their  atti- 
tude should  be  one  of  constant  and  sincere  open-minded- 
ness.  They  are  to  remember  that  it  is  the  function  of  the 
library  to  supply  the  writings  of  all  kinds  of  authors,  on  all 
sides  of  all  questions.  In  doing  this,  it  is  no  part  of  a 
librarian's  function  to  interpose  any  judgments  of  his  own 
upon  the  authors  asked  for.  He  has  no  right  as  a  librarian 
to  be  an  advocate  of  any  theories,  or  a  propagandist  of  any 
opinions.  His  attitude  should  be  one  of  strict  and  abso- 
lute impartiality.  A  public  library  is  the  one  common 
property  of  all,  the  one  neutral  ground  where  all  varieties 
of  character,  and  all  schools  of  opinion  meet  and  mingle. 
Within  its  hallowed  precincts,  sacred  to  literature  and  sci- 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF    A    LIBRARIAN.  265 

ence,  the  voice  of  controversy  should  be  hushed.  While 
the  librarian  may  and  should  hold  his  own  private  opinions 
with  firmness  and  entire  independence,  he  should  keep 
them  private — as  regards  the  frequenters  of  tlie  library. 
He  may,  for  example,  be  profoundly  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  Christian  religion;  and  he  is  called  on,  we  will  suj)- 
pose,for  books  attacking  Christianity,  like  Thomas  Paine's 
"Age  of  Reason/"  or  Robert  G.  Ingersoll's  lectures  on  "Myth 
and  Miracle."  It  is  his  simple  duty  to  supply  the  writers 
asked  for,  without  comment,  for  in  a  public  library,  Chris- 
tian and  Jew,  Mahometan  and  Agnostic,  stand  on  the  same 
level  of  absolute  equality.  The  library  has  the  Koran,  and 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  as  well  as  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  Xew  Testament,  and  one  is  to  be  as  freely  supplied  as 
the  other.  A  library  is  an  institution  of  universal  range — 
of  encyclopaedic  knowledge,  which  gathers  in  and  dis- 
penses to  all  comers,  the  various  and  conflicting  opinions 
of  all  writers  upon  religion,  science,  politics,  philosophy, 
and  sociology.  The  librarian  may  chance  to  be  an  ardent 
Republican  or  a  zealous  Democrat;  but  in  either  case,  he 
should  show  as  much  alacrity  in  furnishing  readers  with 
W.  J.  Bryan's  book  "Tlie  First  Battle,"  as  with  McKinley's 
speeches,  or  the  Republican  Hand-Book.  A  library  is  no 
place  for  dogmatism;  the  librarian  is  pledged,  by  the  very 
nature  of  his  profession,  which  is  that  of  a  dispenser  of  all 
knowledge — not  of  a  part  of  it — to  entire  liberality,  and 
absolute  impartiality.  Remembering  the  axiom  that  all 
errors  may  be  safely  tolerated,  while  reason  is  left  free 
to  combat  them,  he  should  be  ever  ready  to  furnisli  out  of 
the  intellectual  arsenal  under  his  charge,  the  best  and 
strongest  weapons  to  eitlier  side  in  any  conflict  of  opinion. 
It  will  have  been  gathered  from  what  has  gone  Ijcfore, 
in  recapitulation  of  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  llio 
librarian's  calling,  that  it  is  one  demanding  a  high  order 


266  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

of  talent.  The  business  of  successfully  conducting  a  pub- 
lie  library  is  complex  and  difficult.  It  is  full  of  never- 
ending  detail,  and  the  work  accomplished  does  not  show 
for  what  it  is  really  worth,  except  in  the  eyes  of  the  more 
thouglitful  and  discerning  observers. 

1  may  here  bring  into  view  some  of  the  drawbacks  and 
discouragements  incident  to  the  librarian's  vocation,  to- 
gether with  an  outline  of  the  advantages  which  belong 
to  it. 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  little  money  in  it.  No  one 
who  looks  upon  the  acquisition  of  money  as  one  of  the  chief 
aims  of  life,  should  think  for  a  moment  of  entering  on  a 
librarian's  career.  The  prizes  in  the  profession  are  few — • 
so  few  indeed,  as  to  be  quite  out  of  the  question  for  most 
aspirants.  The  salaries  paid  in  subordinate  positions  are 
very  low  in  most  libraries,  and  even  those  of  head-librarians 
are  not  such  that  one  can  lay  up  money  on  them.  A  lady 
assistant  librarian  in  one  city  said  she  had  found  that  one 
of  a  librarian's  proper  qualifications  was  to  be  able  to  live 
on  two  meals  a  day.  This  doubtless  was  a  humorous  ex- 
aggeration, but  it  is  true  that  the  average  salaries  hitherto 
paid  in  our  public  libraries,  with  few  exceptions,  do  not 
quite  come  up  to  those  of  public  school  teachers,  taking  the 
various  grades  into  account.  Most  of  the  newly  formed  li- 
braries are  poor,  and  have  to  be  economical.  But  there  is 
some  reason  to  hope  that  as  libraries  multiply  and  their 
unspeakable  advantages  become  more  fully  appreciated, 
the  standard  of  compensation  for  all  skilled  librarians  will 
rise.  I  say  skilled,  because  training  and  experience  are  the 
leading  elements  which  command  the  better  salaries,  in 
this,  as  in  other  professions. 

Another  drawback  to  be  recognized  in  the  librarian's 
calling,  is  that  there  are  peculiar  trials  and  vexations  con- 
nected with  it.     There  are  almost  no  limits  to  the  demands 


QUALIFICATIONS   OF    A    LIBRARIAN.  267 

made  upon  the  knowledge  and  the  time  of  the  librarian. 
In  other  professions,  teaching  for  example,  there  are  pre- 
scribed and  well-defined  routines  of  the  instruction  to  be 
given,  and  the  teacher  who  thoroughly  masters  this  course, 
and  brings  the  pupils  through  it  creditably,  has  nothing  to 
do  beyond.  The  librarian,  on  the  other  hand,  must  be,  as 
it  were,  a  teacher  of  all  sciences  and  literatures  at  once. 
The  field  to  be  covered  by  the  wants  of  readers,  and  the 
inquiries  that  he  is  expected  to  answer,  are  literally  illimit- 
able. He  cannot  rest  satisfied  with  what  he  has  already 
learned,  however  expert  or  learned  he  may  have  become; 
but  he  must  keep  on  learning  forevermore.  The  new 
books  that  are  continually  flooding  him,  the  new  sciences 
or  new  developments  of  old  ones  that  arise,  must  be  so  far 
assimilated  that  he  can  give  some  account  of  the  scope  of 
all  of  them  to  inquiring  readers. 

In  the  third  place,  there  are  special  annoyances  in  the 
service  of  a  public,  which  includes  always  some  inconsid- 
erate and  many  ignorant  persons,  and  these  will  frequently 
try  one's  patience,  however  angelic  and  forbearing.  So, 
too,  the  short-comings  of  library  assistants  or  associates 
may  often  annoy  him,  but  as  all  these  trials  have  been  be- 
fore referred  to,  it. may  be  added  that  they  are  not  peculiar 
to  library  service,  but  are  liable  to  occur  in  the  profession 
of  teaching  or  in  any  other. 

In  the  next  place,  the  peculiar  variety  and  great  number 
of  the  calls  incessantly  made  upon  the  librarian's  knowl- 
edge, constitute  a  formidable  draft  upon  any  but  the 
strongest  brain.  There  is  no  escape  from  these  continual 
drafts  upon  his  nervous  energy  for  one  who  ha^^  dolil)er- 
utely  chosen  to  serve  in  a  public  library.  And  lie  will 
sometimes  find,  wearied  as  lie  often  must  be  with  many 
cares  and  a  perfect  flood  of  f|uostions,  tliat  the  most  wel- 
come hour  of  the  day  is  the  hour  of  closing  the  library. 


268  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

Another  of  tlie  librariau's  vexations  is  frequently  the 
interference  with  his  proper  work  by  the  library  authori- 
ties. Committees  or  trustees  to  oversee  the  management 
and  supervise  expenditures  are  necessary  to  any  public  li- 
brary. Sometimes  they  are  quick-sighted  and  intelligent 
persons,  and  recognize  the  importance  of  letting  the  li- 
brarian work  out  everything  in  his  own  way,  when  once 
satisfied  that  they  have  got  a  competent  head  in  charge. 
But  there  are  sometimes  men  on  a  board  of  library  control 
who  are  self-conceited  and  pragmatical,  thinking  that  they 
know  everything  about  how  a  library  should  be  managed, 
when  in  fact,  they  are  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  first 
rudiments  of  library  science.  Such  men  will  sometimes 
overbear  their  fellows,  who  may  be  more  intelligent,  but  not 
so  self-asserting,  and  so  manage  as  to  overrule  the  best 
and  wisest  plans,  or  the  most  expedient  methods,  and  vex 
the  very  soul  of  the  librarian.  In  such  cases  the  only 
remedy  is  patience  and  tact.  Some  day,  what  has  been 
decided  wrongly  may  be  reversed,  or  what  has  been  denied 
the  librarian  may  be  granted,  through  the  conversion  of  a 
minority  of  the  trustees  into  a  majority,  by  the  gentle 
suasion  and  skilful  reasoning  of  the  librarian. 

There  are  other  drawbacks  and  discomforts  in  the  course 
of  a  librarian's  duties  which  have  been  referred  to  in  deal- 
ing with  the  daily  work  under  his  charge.  There  remains 
the  fact  that  the  profession  is  no  bed  of  roses,  but  a  la- 
borious and  exacting  calling,  the  price  of  success  in  which 
is  an  unremitting  industry,  and  energy  inexhaustible. 
But  these  will  not  appear  very  formidable  requisites  to 
those  who  have  a  native  love  of  work,  and  it  is  a  fact  not  to 
be  doubted  that  work  of  some  kind  is  the  only  salvation 
of  every  human  creature. 

Upon  the  whole,  if  the  calling  of  the  librarian  involves 
many  trials  and  vexations,  it  has  also  many  notable  com- 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF    A    LIBRARIAN.  269 

pensations.  Foremost  among  these  is  to  be  reckoned  the 
fact  that  it  opens  more  and  wider  avenues  to  intellectual 
culture  than  any  other  profession  whatever.  This  comes 
in  a  two-fold  way:  first,  through  the  stimulus  to  research 
given  by  the  incessant  inquiries  of  readers,  and  by  the  very 
necessity  of  his  being,  as  a  librarian ;  and  secondly,  by  the 
rare  facilities  for  investigation  and  improvement  supplied 
by  the  ample  and  varied  stores  of  the  library  always  imme- 
diately at  hand.  Other  scholars  can  commonly  command 
but  few  books,  unless  able  to  possess  a  large  private  library : 
their  reasearches  in  the  public  one  are  hampered  by  the 
rule  that  no  works  of  reference  can  be  withdrawn,  and 
that  constitutes  a  very  large  and  essential  class,  constantly 
needed  by  every  scholar  and  writer.  The  librarian,  on  the 
other  hand,  has  them  all  at  his  elbow. 

In  the  next  place,  there  are  few  professions  which  are 
in  themselves  so  attractive  as  librarianship.  Its  tendency 
is  both  to  absorb  and  to  satisfy  the  intellectual  faculties. 
ISTo  where  else  is  the  sense  of  continual  growth  so  palpable ; 
in  no  other  field  of  labor  is  such  an  enlargement  of  the 
bounds  of  one's  horizon  likely  to  be  found.  Compare  it 
with  the  profession  of  teaching.  In  that,  the  mind  is 
cliained  down  to  a  rigorous  course  of  imparting  instruction 
in  a  narrow  and  limited  field.  One  must  perforce  go  on 
rehearsing  the  same  rudiments  of  learning,  grinding  over 
the  same  Latin  gerunds,  hearing  the  same  monotonous  reci- 
tations, month  after  month,  and  year  after  year.  This 
continual  threshing  over  of  old  straw  has  its  uses,  but  to  an 
ardent  and  active  mind,  it  is  liable  to  become  very  depress- 
ing. Such  a  mind  would  rather  be  kept  on  the  qui  vive 
of  activity  by  a  volley  d  questions  fired  at  him  every  hour 
in  a  library,  than  to  grind  forever  in  an  intellectual  tread- 
mill, with  no  hope  of  change  and  very  little  of  relief.  The 
very  variety  of  the  employments  which  fill  up  the  libr;iry 


-<^  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

hours,  tlie  versatility  required  in  the  service,  contributes 
to  it  a  certain  zest  which  other  professions  lack. 

Again,  the  labors  of  the  librarian  bring  him  into  an  in- 
timate knowledge  of  a  wide  range  of  books,  or  at  least  an 
acquaintance  with  authors  and  titles  far  more  extensive 
than  can  be  acquired  by  most  persons.  The  reading  of 
book  catalogues  is  a  great  and  never-ending  fascination  to 
one  who  has  a  love  for  books.  The  information  thus  ac- 
quired of  the  mighty  range  of  the  world's  literature  and 
science  is  of  inestimable  value.  Most  of  it,  if  retained  in 
a  retentive  memory,  will  enable  its  possessor  to  answer 
multitudes  of  the  questions  continually  put  to  the  li- 
brarian. 

Then,  too,  the  service  of  a  public  library  is  a  valuable 
school  for  the  study  of  human  nature.  One  comes  in  con- 
tact with  scholars,  men  of  business,  authors,  bright  young 
people,  journalists,  professional  men  and  cultured  women, 
to  an  extent  unequaled  by  the  opportunities  of  any  other 
calling.  This  variety  of  intercourse  tends  to  broaden  one's 
sympathies,  to  strengthen  his  powers  of  observation,  to  cul- 
tivate habits  of  courtesy,  to  develop  the  faculty  of  adapting 
himself  to  all  persons — qualities  which  contribute  much 
to  social  interest  and  success.  The  discipline  of  such  an 
intercourse  may  sometimes  make  out  of  a  silent  and  bash- 
ful recluse,  a  ready  and  engaging  adept  in  conversation, 
able  to  command  the  attention  and  conciliate  the  regard 
of  all.  Farther  than  this,  one  brought  into  so  wide  a 
circle  of  communication  with  others,  cannot  fail  to  learn 
something  from  at  least  some  among  them,  and  so  to  re- 
ceive knowledge  as  well  as  to  impart  it.  The  curious  and 
diverse  elements  of  character  brought  out  in  such  inter- 
course will  make  their  impress,  and  may  have  their  value. 
All  these  many  facilities  for  intellectual  intercourse  both 
with  books  and  with  men,  contribute  directly  to  keep  the 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF    A    LIBEARIAX.  271 

librarian  in  contact  M'ith  all  the  great  objects  of  human  in- 
terest. They  supply  an  unfailing  stimulus  to  his  intellect- 
ual and  moral  nature.  They  give  any  active-minded  per- 
son rare  facilities,  not  only  for  the  acquisition,  but  for 
the  communication  of  ideas.  And  tliere  is  one  avenue  for 
such  communication  that  is  peculiarly  open  to  one  whose 
mind  is  stored  with  the  ripe  fruits  of  reading  and  observa- 
tion. I  mean  the  field  of  authorship — not  necessarily  the 
authorship  of  books,  but  of  writing  in  the  form  of  essays, 
reviews,  lectures,  stories  or  contributions  to  the  periodical 
press.  There  are  in  every  community  literary  societies, 
clubs,  and  evening  gatherings,  where  such  contributions 
are  always  in  demand,  and  always  welcomed,  in  exact  pro- 
portion to  their  inherent  interest  and  value.  Such  avenues 
for  the  communication  of  one's  thought  are  of  great  and 
sometimes  permanent  advantage.  The  knowledge  which 
■we  acquire  is  comparatively  barren,  until  it  is  shared  with 
others.  And  whether  this  be  in  an  appreciative  circle  of  lis- 
teners, or  in  the  press,  it  gives  a  certain  stimulus  and  re- 
ward to  the  thinker  and  writer,  which  nothing  else  can  im- 
part. To  convey  one's  best  tliought  to  tlie  world  is  one  of 
the  purest  and  highest  of  intellectual  pleasures. 

Let  me  add  that  there  are  two  sides  to  the  question  of 
authorship,  as  concerns  librarians.  On  the  one  hand,  their 
advantages  for  entering  that  field  are  undoubtedly  su- 
perior, both  from  the  ready  command  of  the  most  abund- 
ant material,  and  from  experience  in  its  use.  On  tlie  other 
hand,  while  authorship  may  be  said  to  be  the  most  beset- 
ting temptation  of  the  librarian,  it  is  one  that  should  be 
steadily  resisted  whenever  it  encroaches  on  the  time  and 
attention  due  to  library  duties.  If  he  makes  it  a  rule  to 
write  nothing  and  to  study  nothing  for  his  own  objects 
during  library  hours,  he  is  safe.  Some  years  since  it  was 
a  common  subject  of  reproach  regarding  the  librarians  of 


272  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

several  university  libraries  in  England  that  they  were  so 
engaged  in  writing  books,  that  no  scholar  could  get  at  them 
for  aid  in  his  literary  researches.  The  librarians  and  as- 
sistants employed  in  the  Britisli  Museum  Library,  where 
tlie  hours  of  service  are  short,  have  found  time  to  produce 
numerous  contributions  to  literature.  Witness  the  works, 
as  authors  and  editors,  of  Sir  Henry  Ellis,  Antonio  Pan- 
izzi.  Dr.  Richard  Garnett,  Edward  Edwards,  J.  Winter 
Jones,  Thomas  Watts,  George  Smith,  and  others.  And 
in  America,  the  late  Justin  Winsor  was  one  of  the  most 
prolific  and  versatile  of  authors,  while  John  Fiske,  once 
assistant  librarian  at  Harvard,  Eeuben  A.  Guild,  William 
r.  Poole,  George  H.  Moore,  J.  IST.  Earned,  Frederick  Saun- 
ders and  others  have  been  copious  contributors  to  the 
press. 

In  a  retrospective  view  of  what  has  been  said  in  respect 
to  the  qualifications  of  a  librarian,  it  may  appear  that  I 
have  insisted  upon  too  high  a  standard,  and  have  claimed 
that  he  should  be  possessed  of  every  virtue  under  heaven. 
I  freely  admit  that  I  have  aimed  to  paint  the  portrait  of 
the  ideal  librarian;  and  I  have  done  it  in  order  to  show 
what  might  be  accomplished,  rather  than  what  has  been 
accomplished.  To  set  one's  mark  high — higher  even  than 
we  are  likely  to  reach,  is  the  surest  way  to  attain  real  ex- 
cellence in  any  vocation.  It  is  very  true  that  it  is  not 
given  to  mortals  to  achieve  perfection:  but  it  is  none  the 
less  our  business  to  aim  at  it,  and  the  higher  the  ideal,  the 
nearer  we  are  likely  to  come  to  a  notable  success  in  the 
work  we  have  chosen. 

Librarianship  furnishes  one  of  the  widest  fields  for  the 
most  eminent  attainments.  The  librarian,  more  than  any 
other  person  whatever,  is  brought  into  contact  with  those 
who  are  hungering  and  thirsting  after  knowledge.  He 
should  be  able  to  satisfy  those  longings,  to  lead  inquirers 


QUALIFICATIONS    OF   A    LIBRAEIAX.  273 

in  the  way  they  should  go,  and  to  be  to  all  who  seek  his 
assistance  a  guide,  philosopher  and  friend.  Of  all  the 
pleasures  which  a  generous  mind  is  capable  of  enjoying, 
that  of  aiding  and  enlightening  others  is  one  of  the  finest 
and  most  delightful.  To  learn  continually  for  one's  self 
is  a  noble  ambition,  but  to  learn  for  the  sake  of  communi- 
cating to  others,  is  a  far  nobler  one.  In  fact,  the  librarian 
becomes  most  widely  useful  by  effacing  himself,  as  it  were, 
in  seeking  to  promote  the  intelligence  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives.  One  of  the  best  librarians  in  the  country 
said  that  such  were  the  privileges  and  opportunities  of  the 
profession,  that  one  might  well  afford  to  live  on  bread  and 
water  for  the  sake  of  being  a  librarian,  provided  one  had 
no  family  to  support. 

There  is  a  new  and  signally  marked  advance  in  recent 
years,  in  the  public  idea  of  what  constitutes  a  librarian. 
The  old  idea  of  a  librarian  was  that  of  a  guardian  or  keeper 
of  books — not  a  diffuser  of  knowledge,  but  a  mere  cus- 
todian of  it.  This  idea  had  its  origin  in  ages  when  books 
were  few,  were  printed  chiefly  in  dead  languages,  and  ren- 
dered still  more  dead  by  being  chained  to  the  shelves  or 
tables  of  the  library.  The  librarian  might  be  a  monk,  or  a 
professor,  or  a  priest,  or  a  doctor  of  law,  or  theology,  or 
medicine,  but  in  any  case  his  function  was  to  guard  tlie 
books,  and  not  to  dispense  them.  Those  who  resorted  to 
the  library  were  kept  at  arm's  length,  as  it  were,  and  tlie 
fewer  there  were  who  came,  the  better  tlie  grim  or  studious 
custodian  was  pleased.  Every  inquiry  which  l)roke  the 
profound  silence  of  the  cloistered  lil)rary  was  a  kind  of 
rude  interruption,  and  when  it  was  answered,  the  perfunc- 
tory ]i})rarian  resumed  liis  reading  or  his  studies.  ^Fhe  in- 
stitution appeared  to  exist,  not  for  the  hcncfil  of  tlie  jx'o- 
ple,  but  for  that  of  tlie  lll)rarian  ;  or  for  tbe  h<>nctit,  besides, 
of  a  few  sequestered  scholars,  like  liiniself,  and  any  wide 


274  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    TiK ADEHS. 

popular  use  of  it  would  liavo  been  viewed  as  a  kind  of  pro- 
fanation. 

AVe  have  chan.yed  all  that  in  the  modern  world,  and  li- 
brary service  is  now  one  of  the  busiest  occupations  in  the 
whole  range  of  human  enterprise.  One  cannot  succeed  in 
the  profession,  if  his  main  idea  is  that  a  public  library  is  a 
nice  and  easy  place  where  one  may  do  one's  own  reading 
and  Avriting  to  the  best  advantage.  A  library  is  an  intel- 
lectual and  material  work-shop,  in  which  there  is  no  room 
for  fossils  nor  for  drones.  My  only  conception  of  a  useful 
library  is  alibrary  that  is  used — and  thesame  of  a  librarian. 
He  should  be  a  lover  of  books — but  not  a  book-worm.  If 
his  tendencies  toward  idealism  are  strong,  he  should  hold 
them  in  check  by  addicting  himself  to  steady,  practical, 
every-day  work.  While  careful  of  all  details,  he  should  not 
be  mastered  by  them.  If  I  have  sometimes  seemed  to 
dwell  upon  trifling  or  obvious  suggestions  as  to  temper,  or 
conduct,  or  methods,  let  it  be  remembered  that  trifles 
make  up  perfection,  and  that  perfection  is  no  trifle. 

I  once  quoted  the  saying  that  "the  librarian  who  reads 
is  lost" ;  but  it  would  be  far  truer  to  say  that  the  librarian 
who  does  not  read  is  lost;  only  he  should  read  wisely  and 
with  a  purpose.  He  should  make  his  reading  helpful  in 
giving  him  a  wide  knowledge  of  facts,  of  thoughts,  and  of 
illustrations,  which  will  come  perpetually  in  play  in  his 
daily  intercourse  with  an  inquiring  public. 


CHAPTER  14. 

Some  of  the  Uses  of  Libearies. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  subject  of  the  uses  of  public  li- 
braries to  schools  and  those  connected  with  them.  Most 
town  and  city  libraries  are  supported,  like  the  free  schools, 
by  the  public  money,  drawn  from  tlio  tax-payers,  and  sup- 
posed to  be  expended  for  the  common  benefit  of  all  the 
people.  It  results  that  one  leadin^i^  object  of  the  library 
should  be  to  acquire  such  a  collection  of  books  as  will  be  in 
the  highest  degree  useful  to  all.  And  especially  should 
tlie  wants  of  the  younger  generation  be  cared  for,  since 
they  are  always  not  only  nearly  one  half  of  the  com- 
munity, but  they  are  also  to  become  the  future  citizens  of 
the  republic.  AYhat  we  learn  in  youth  is  likely  to  make  a 
more  marked  and  lasting  impression  than  what  we  may 
acquire  in  later  years.  And  the  public  library  should  be 
viewed  as  the  most  important  and  necessary  adjunct  of  the 
school,  in  the  instruction  and  improvement  of  tlie  young. 
Each  is  adapted  to  supply  what  the  other  lacks.  The 
school  supplies  oral  instruction  and  public  exercises  in  va- 
rious departments  of  learning;  but  it  has  few  or  no  books, 
beyond  the  class  text-books  which  are  used  in  tliose  in- 
structions. The  library,  on  the  other  hand,  is  a  silent 
school  of  learning,  free  to  all,  and  supplying  a  wide  range 
of  information,  in  books  adapted  to  every  age.  It  thus 
supplements,  and  in  proportion  to  the  extent  and  judicious 
choice  of  its  collections,  helps  to  complete  that  education, 
which  the  school  falls  short  of.  In  this  view,  we  see  the 
great  importance  of  making  sure  that  the  public  library  1ms 
not  only  a  full  supplv  of  the  l)est  books  in  evcrv  field,  avoid- 

(275) 


276  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

ing  (as  previously  urged)  the  bad  or  the  inferior  ones,  but 
also  that  it  has  the  best  juvenile  and  elementary  literature 
in  ample  supply.  This  subject  of  reading  for  the  young  ha^ 
of  late  years  come  into  unprecedented  prominence.  For- 
merly, and  even  up  to  the  middle  of  our  century,  very 
slight  attention  was  paid  to  it,  either  by  authors  or  readers. 
Whole  generations  had  been  brought  up  on  the  New  Eng- 
land Primer,  -with  its  grotesque  wood-cuts,  and  antique 
theology  in  prose  and  verse,  with  a  few  moral  narratives 
in  addition,  as  solemn  as  a  meeting-house,  like  the  "Dairy- 
man's Daughter,"  the  "History  of  Sandford  and  Merton," 
or  "The  Shepherd  of  Salisbury  Plain."  Very  dreary  and 
melancholy  do  such  books  appear  to  the  frequenters  of  our 
modern  libraries,  filled  as  they  now  are  with  thousands 
of  volumes  of  lively  and  entertaining  juvenile  books. 

The  transition  from  the  old  to  the  new  in  this  class  of 
literature  was  through  the  Sunday-school  and  religious 
tract  society  books,  professedly  adapted  to  the  young. 
While  some  of  these  had  enough  of  interest  to  be  fairly 
readable,  if  one  had  no  other  resource,  the  mass  were  ir- 
redeemably stale  and  poor.  The  mawkishness  of  the  senti- 
ment was  only  surpassed  by  the  feebleness  of  the  style. 
At  last,  weary  of  the  goody-goody  and  artificial  school  of 
juvenile  books,  which  had  been  produced  for  generations, 
until  a  surfeit  of  it  led  to  something  like  a  nausea  in  the 
public  mind,  there  came  a  new  t\^e  of  writers  for  the 
young,  who  at  least  began  to  speak  the  language  of  reason. 
The  dry  bones  took  on  some  semblance  of  life  and  of  hu- 
man nature,  and  boys  and  girls  were  painted  as  real  boys 
and  genuine  girls,  instead  of  lifeless  dolls  and  manikins. 
The  reformation  went  on,  until  we  now  have  a  world  of 
books  for  the  young  to  choose  from,  very  many  of  which 
are  fresh  and  entertaining. 

But  the  very  wealth  and  redundancy  of  such  literature 


SOME    OF    THE    USES    OF    LIBRARIES  277 

is  a  new  embarrafisment  to  the  librarian,  who  must  indis- 
pensably make  a  selection,  since  no  library  can  have  or 
ought  to  have  it  all.  Recurring  to  the  function  of  the 
public  library  as  the  coacljutor  of  the  school,  let  us  see  what 
classes  of  books  should  form  essential  parts  of  its  stores. 

1.  As  geography,  or  an  account  of  the  earth  on  which 
we  live,  is  a  fundamental  part  of  education,  the  library 
should  possess  a  liberal  selection  of  the  best  books  in  that 
science.  The  latest  general  gazetteer  of  the  world,  the  best 
modern  and  a  good  ancient  atlas,  one  or  more  of  the  great 
general  collections  of  voyages,  a  set  of  Baedeker's  admir- 
able and  inexpensive  guide  books,  and  descriptive  works 
or  travels  in  nearly  all  countries — those  in  America  and 
Europe  predominating — should  be  secured.  The  scholars 
of  all  grades  will  thus  be  able  to  supplement  their  studies 
by  ready  reference,  and  every  part  of  the  globe  will  lie  open 
before  them,  as  it  were,  by  the  aid  of  the  library. 

2.  The  best  and  latest  text-books  in  all  the  sciences,  as 
geology,  chemistry,  natural  history,  physics,  botany,  agri- 
culture, mechanic  arts,  mathematics,  mental  and  moral 
science,  architecture,  fine  arts,  music,  sociology,  political 
science,  etc.,  should  be  accessible. 

3.  Every  important  history,  with  all  the  latest  manuals 
or  elementary  books  in  general  and  national  history  should 
be  found. 

4.  The  great  collections  of  biography,  with  separate 
lives  of  all  noted  characters,  should  be  provided. 

5.  Dictionaries,  cyclopaedias,  statistical  annuals,  and 
other  books  of  reference  will  be  needed  in  abundance. 

6.  A  small  but  select  number  of  approved  works  in  law, 
medicine,  and  theology  should  be  embraced  in  the  li])rary. 

7.  I  need  not  add  that  the  poets  and  novelists  should  be 
well  represented,  as  that  goes  without  saying  in  all  popular 
libraries. 


278  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

Ami  special  attention  should  be  paid  to  building  up  a 
collection  of  the  best  books  for  juvenile  readers,  such  as 
have  passed  the  ordeal  of  good  critical  judgment  among 
the  librarians,  as  eminently  fit  to  be  read.  There  are  sev- 
eral useful  catalogues  of  such  reading,  as:  Caroline  M.  He- 
wins'  "Books  for  the  Young,"  G.  E.  Hardy's  "Five  Hundred 
Books  for  the  Young,"  and  the  admirable  "List  of  Books 
for  Girls  and  Women"  by  Augusta  H.  Leypoldt  and  Geo. 
lies,  contributed  to  by  many  experts,  and  copiously  sup- 
plied with  notes  describing  the  scope  and  quality  of  the 
books.    The  last  two  are  published  by  the  Library  Bureau. 

With  this  broad  equipment  of  the  best  books  in  every 
field,  and  vigilance  in  constant  exercise  to  add  fresh  stores 
from  the  constantly  appearing  and  often  improved  text- 
books in  every  science,  the  library  will  be  a  treasury  of 
knowledge  both  for  teachers  and  pupils  in  the  schools. 
And  the  fact  should  not  be  overlooked,  that  there  will  be 
found  as  much  growth  for  teachers  as  for  scholars  in  such 
a  collection  of  books.  Very  few  teachers,  save  those  of 
well-furnished  minds  and  of  much  careful  reading,  are 
competent  to  guide  their  scholars  into  the  highways  and 
byways  of  knowledge,  as  the  librarian  should  be  able  to  do. 

To  establish  a  relation  of  confidence  and  aid  with  teach- 
ers is  the  preliminary  step  to  be  taken  in  order  to  make  the 
library  at  once  practically  useful  to  them  and  to  their 
scholars.  In  case  there  are  several  public  schools  in 
charge  of  a  general  superintendent,  that  officer  should  be 
first  consulted,  and  tendered  the  free  aid  of  the  library  and 
its  librarian  for  himself  and  the  teachers.  In  some  public 
libraries,  the  school  superintendent  is  made  an  ex  officio 
member  of  the  library  board.  Then  suitable  regulations 
should  be  mutually  agreed  upon,  fixing  the  number  of 
books  to  be  drawn  on  account  of  the  schools  at  any  one 
time,  and  the  period  of  return  to  the  library.     It  is  mest 


SOME    OF    THE    FSES    OF    LIBRARIES  279 

usual  to  charge  such  books  on  teachers'  cards,  or  account, 
to  fix  responsibility,  although  the  teachers  loan  them  to  the 
scholars  at  their  option. 

In  places  -where  there  are  no  school  libraries  proper,  the 
public  library  ^^'ill  need  to  provide  a  goodly  number  of  du- 
plicates, in  order  to  meet  the  special  school  demand. 
This,  however,  will  usually  be  of  low-priced  rather  than 
costly  books,  as  the  elementary  text-books  do  not  draw 
heavily  upon  library  funds. 

A  very  attractive  feature  in  providing  books  for  the 
young  is  the  large  number  of  illustrated  books  now  avail- 
able to  all  libraries.  All  tbe  kingdoms  of  nature  are  de- 
picted in  these  introductory  manuals  of  science,  rendering 
its  pursuit  more  interesting,  and  cultivating  the  habits  of 
observation  of  form  and  of  proportion,  in  the  minds  of  the 
young.  Pupils  who  have  never  accomplished  anything  in 
school  have  been  roused  by  interest  in  illustrated  natural 
histories  to  take  an  eag^r  interest  in  learning  all  about 
birds  and  animals.  This  always  leads  on  and  up  to  other 
study,  since  the  mind  that  is  once  awakened  to  observation 
and  to  thought,  needs  only  a  slight  guidance  to  develop  an 
unappeasable  hunger  for  finding  out  all  about  things. 

The  ancient  maxim  that  "it  is  only  the  first  step  that 
costs"  is  especially  true  in  the  great  art  of  education.  It 
matters  little  what  it  is  that  first  awakens  the  intellect — 
the  great  fact  is  that  it  is  awakened,  and  sleeps  no  more 
thenceforward.  A  mottled  bird's  egg,  found  on  the  way  to 
school,  excites  the  little  finder  to  ascertain  the  name  of  the 
bird  that  laid  it.  The  school  or  the  teacher  supplies  no 
means  of  finding  out,  but  the  public  library  has  books  upon 
birds,  with  colored  plates  of  their  eggs,  and  an  eager  search 
ensues,  until  the  young  student  is  rewarded  ])y  finding  the 
very  bird,  with  its  name,  plumage,  habits,  size,  and  season, 
all  described.     That  child  has  taken  an  enormous  step  for- 


280  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

ward  on  the  road  to  knowledge,  wliicli  will  never  be  forgot- 
ten. 

Instances  might  be  multiplied  indefinitely  of  such  valu- 
able aids  to  research,  afforded  by  libraries,  all  along  the  in- 
numerable roads  travelled  by  students  of  every  age  in 
search  of  information.  One  of  the  most  profitable  of 
school  exercises  is  to  take  up  successively  the  great  men 
and  notable  women  of  the  past,  and,  by  the  effective  and 
practical  aid  of  the  libraries,  to  find  out  what  is  best 
worth  knowing  about  CJolumbus,  Franklin,  Walter  Scott, 
Irving,  Prescott,  Bancroft,  Longfellow,  Hawthorne,  Whit- 
tier,  Emerson,  Lowell,  Victor  Hugo,  or  others  too  numer- 
ous to  name.  Eeading  Longfellow's  Evangeline  will  lead 
one  to  search  out  the  history  and  geography  of  Acadia, 
and  so  fix  indelibly  the  practical  facts  concerned,  as  well 
as  the  imagery  of  a  fine  poem.  So  in  the  notable  events 
of  history,  if  a  study  is  made  of  the  English  Common- 
wealth, or  the  French  Revolution,  or  the  war  between  the 
United  States  and  England  in  1812-15,  the  library  will 
STipply  the  student  with  copious  materials  for  illustration. 

Not  alone  in  the  fields  of  science,  history,  and  biography, 
but  in  the  attractive  fields  of  literature,  also,  can  the  libra- 
ries aid  and  supplement  the  teachings  of  the  school.  A 
fine  poem,  or  a  simple,  humorous,  or  pathetic  stor}'-,  told 
with  artless  grace  or  notable  literary  skill,  when  read 
aloud  by  a  teacher  in  school,  awakens  a  desire  in  many  to 
have  the  same  book  at  home  to  read,  re-read,  and  perhaps 
commit  to  memory  the  finer  passages.  What  more  inspir- 
ing or  pleasing  reading  than  some  of  Longfellow's  poems, 
or  the  Vicar  of  Wakefield,  or  Milton's  L'  Allegro  and  II 
Penseroso,  or  Saintine's  Picciola,  or  selections  from  the 
poems  of  Holmes,  Whittier.  Kipling,  or  Lowell?  For  all 
these  and  similar  wants,  the  library  has  an  unfailing  sup- 

piy- 


SOME    OF    THE    USES    OF    LIBRARIES  281 

As  a  practical  illustration  of  the  extensive  use  of  books 
by  schools  in  some  advanced  communities,  I  may  note  that 
Librarian  Green,  of  the  "Worcester  (Mass.)  Public  Library, 
said  in  1891  that  his  average  daily  account  of  the  books 
loaned  to  schools  in  two  busy  winter  months  showed  over 
1,600  volumes  thus  in  daily  use.  This  too,  was  in  addition 
to  all  that  were  drawn  out  by  pupils  on  their  own  independ- 
ent cards  as  borrowers.     Such  a  record  speaks  volumes. 

In  the  same  city,  where  the  Massachusetts  State  Normal 
School  is  located,  sixty-four  per  cent,  of  the  scholars  visit- 
ed the  library  to  look  up  subjects  connected  with  their 
studies. 

A  forcible  argument  for  librarians  taking  an  interest  in 
reading  for  schools  is  that  both  parents  and  teachers  often 
neglect  to  see  that  the  young  get  only  proper  books  to  read. 
The  children  are  themselves  quite  ignorant  what  to  choose, 
and  if  left  to  themselves,  are  likely  to  choose  unwisely,  and 
to  read  story  papers  or  quite  unimproving  books.  Their 
parents,  busied  as  they  are,  commonly  give  no  thought  to 
the  matter,  and  are  quite  destitute  of  that  knowledge  of  the 
various  classes  of  books  which  it  is  the  province  of  the  li- 
brarian to  know  and  to  discriminate.  Teachers  them- 
selves do  not  possess  this  special  knowledge,  except  in  rare 
instances,  and  have  to  become  far  more  conversant  with 
libraries  than  is  usual,  in  order  to  acquire  it. 

That  the  very  young,  left  to  themselves,  will  choose 
many  bad  or  worthless  books  is  shown  in  the  account  of  a 
principal  of  a  school  in  San  Francisco,  who  found  tliat 
sixty  per  cent  of  the  books  drawn  from  the  public  library 
by  pupils  had  been  dime  novels,  or  other  worthless  litera- 
ture. The  wide  prevalence  of  the  dime  novel  evil  ap- 
peared in  the  report  of  the  reading  of  1,000  boys  in  a  west- 
ern New  York  city.  Out  of  this  number,  472  (or  nearly 
one-half)  were  in  the  lia))it  of  devouring  this  pernicious 


282  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

trash,  procured  in  most  cases  by  purchase  at  the  news 
stands.  The  matter  wa-s  taken  up  by  teachers,  and,  by  wise 
direction  and  by  aid  of  the  public  library,  the  reading  of 
these  youthful  candidates  for  citizenship  was  led  into  more 
improving  fields.  To  lead  a  mind  in  the  formative  stage 
from  the  low  to  the  high,  from  tales  of  wild  adventure  to 
the  best  stories  for  the  young,  is  by  no  means  difficult. 
Take  a  book  that  you  know  is  wholesome  and  entertaining, 
and  it  will  be  eagerly  read  by  almost  every  one.  There  is 
an  endless  variety  of  good  books  adapted  to  the  most  rudi- 
mentary capacity.  Even  young  minds  can  become  inter- 
ested in  the  works  of  standard  writers,  if  the  proper  selec- 
tion is  made.  "Wonderful  is  the  stimulus  which  the  read- 
ing of  a  purely  written,  fascinating  book  gives  to  the  young 
mind.  It  opens  the  way  for  more  books  and  for  infinite 
growth.  All  that  is  needed  is  to  set  the  youth  in  the  right 
direction,  and  he  will  go  forward  with  rapid  strides  of  his 
own  accord.  This  teaching  how  to  read  is  really  the  most 
profitable  part  of  any  education.  To  recite  endless  lessons 
is  not  education:  and  one  book  eagerly  read  through,  has 
often  proved  more  valuable  than  all  the  text-books  that 
ever  were  printed. 

The  Uses  of  the  Library  to  the  University. 

Closely  allied  to  the  benefits  derived  from  the  library  by 
the  teachers  and  scholars  in  public  schools  are  its  uses  to  all 
those  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  higher  education.  For  our 
colleges  and  universities  and  their  researches,  the  library 
must  have  all  that  we  have  suggested  as  important  for  the 
schools,  and  a  great  deal  more.  The  term  university  im- 
plies an  education  as  broad  as  the  whole  world  of  books 
can  supply:  yet  we  must  here  meet  with  limitations  that 
are  inevitable.  In  this  country  we  have  to  regret  the  ap- 
plication of  the  word  "university"  to  institutions  where 


SOME    OF    THE    USES    OF    LIBEABIES  283 

the  training  is  only  academical,  or  at  the  highest,  collegiate. 
The  university,  properly  speaking,  is  an  institution  for  the 
most  advanced  scholars  or  graduates  of  our  colleges.  Just 
as  the  college  takes  up  and  carries  forward  the  training  of 
those  who  have  been  through  the  academy, the  seminary,  or 
the  high  school,  so  it  is  the  function  of  the  university  to 
carry  forward  (we  will  not  say  complete)  the  education  of 
the  graduate  of  the  college.  Xo  education  is  ever  com- 
pleted: the  doctor  who  has  received  the  highest  honors  at 
the  university  has  only  begun  his  education — for  that  is 
to  go  on  through  life — and  who  knows  how  far  beyond? 

Xow  the  aid  which  a  well  equipped  library  can  furnish 
to  all  these  higher  institutions  of  learning,  the  academy, 
the  seminary,  the  college,  and  the  university,  is  quite  in- 
calculable. Their  students  are  constantly  engaged  upon 
themes  which  not  only  demand  the  text-books  they  study, 
but  collateral  illustrations  almost  without  number.  The 
professors,  too,  who  impart  instruction,  perpetually  need 
to  be  instructed  themselves,  with  fuller  knowledge  upon 
the  themes  they  are  daily  called  upon  to  elucidate.  There 
is  no  text-book  that  can  teach  all,  or  anywhere  near  all 
there  is  upon  the  subject  it  professes  to  cover.  So  the  li- 
brary, which  has  many  books  upon  that  subject,  comes  in 
to  supply  its  deficiencies.  And  the  librarian  is  usefiil  to 
the  professors  and  students  just  in  proportion  as  he  knows, 
not  the  contents,  but  the  range  of  books  upon  each  subject 
sought  to  be  investigated.  Here  is  where  the  subject  cata- 
logue, or  the  dictionary  catalogue,  combining  the  subjects 
and  the  authors  under  a  single  alphabet,  comes  into  play. 
But,  as  no  catalogue  of  subjects  was  ever  yet  up  to  date  in 
any  considerable  library,  the  librarian  should  bo  able  to 
supplement  the  catalogue  by  his  own  knowledge  of  lalcr 
works  in  any  line  of  inquiry. 

Tiie  most  profitable  studies  carricil  on  in  lil)rai'i(.'S  are. 


284  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READEUS. 

beyond  all  question,  what  we  may  term  topical  researches. 
To  pursue  one  subject  though  many  authorities  is  the  true 
way  to  arrive  at  comprehensive  knowledge.  And  in  this 
kind  of  research,  the  librarian  ought  to  be  better  equipped 
than  any  who  frequent  his  library.  Why?  Simply  be- 
cause his  business  is  bibliography;  which  is  not  the  busi- 
ness of  learned  professors,  or  other  scholars  who  visit  the 
library. 

Tlie  late  Librarian  Winsor  said  that  he  considered  the 
librarian's  instruction  far  more  valuable  than  that  of  the 
specialist.  And  this  may  be  owing  largely  to  the  point  of 
view,  as  well  as  to  the  training,  of  each.  The  specialist, 
perhaps,  is  an  enthusiast  or  a  devotee  to  his  science,  and  so 
apt  to  give  undue  importance  to  the  details  of  it,  or  to 
magnify  some  one  feature:  the  librarian,  on  the  other 
hand,  who  is  nothing  if  not  comprehensive,  takes  the  larger 
view  of  the  wide  field  of  literature  on  each  subject,  and  his 
suggestions  concerning  sources  of  information  are  corres- 
pondingly valuable. 

In  those  constantly  arising  questions  which  form  the 
subjects  of  essays  or  discussions  in  all  institutions  of  learn- 
ing, the  well-furnished  library  is  an  unfailing  resource. 
The  student  who  finds  his  unaided  mind  almost  a  blank 
upon  the  topic  given  out  for  treatment,  resorts  at  once  to 
the  public  library,  searches  catalogues,  questions  the  libra- 
rian, and  surrounds  himself  with  books  and  periodicals 
which  may  throw  light  upon  it.  He  is  soon  master  of  facts 
and  reasonings  which  enable  him  to  start  upon  a  train  of 
thought  that  bears  fruit  in  an  essay  or  discourse.  In  fact, 
it  may  be  laid  down  as  an  axiom,  that  nearly  every  new 
book  that  is  written  is  indebted  to  the  library  for  most  of 
its  ideas,  its  facts,  or  its  illustrations,  so  that  libraries  actu- 
ally beget  libraries. 

Some  of  the  endlessly  diversified  uses  of  a  well-equipped 


SOME    OF   THE    USES    OF    LIBRARIES  285 

library,  not  only  to  scholars  but  to  the  general  public,  may 
here  be  referred  to.  Among  the  most  sought  for  sources 
of  information,  the  periodical  press,  both  of  the  past  and 
the  current  time,  holds  a  prominent  rank.  "When  it  is 
considered  how  far-reaching  are  the  fields  embraced  in  the 
wide  range  of  these  periodicals,  literary,  religious,  scien- 
tific, political,  technical,  philosopliical,  social,  medical, 
legal,  educational,  agricultural,  bibliographical,  commer- 
cial, financial,  historical,  mechanical,  nautical,  military,  ar- 
tistic, musical,  dramatic,  typographical,  sanitary,  sporting, 
economic,  and  miscellaneous,  is  it  any  wonder  that  special- 
ists and  writers  for  the  press  seek  and  find  ready  aid  therein 
for  their  many-sided  labors? 

To  the  skeptical  mind,  accustomed  to  undervalue  wliat 
does  not  happen  to  come  within  the  range  of  his  pet  idols 
or  pursuits,  the  observation  of  a  single  day's  multifold  re- 
search in  a  great  library  miglit  be  in  the  nature  of  a  revela- 
tion. Hither  flock  the  ever-present  searchers  into  family 
history,  laying  under  contribution  all  the  genealogies  and 
town  and  county  histories  which  the  country  has  produced. 
Here  one  finds  an  industrious  compiler  intent  upon  the 
history  of  American  duels,  for  which  the  many  files  of 
Northern  and  Southern  newspapers,  reacliing  back  to  the 
beginning  of  the  century,  afford  copious  material.  At  an- 
other table  sits  a  deputation  from  a  government  depart- 
ment, commissioned  to  make  a  record  of  all  notable  strikes 
and  labor  troubles  for  a  series  of  years,  to  be  gleaned  from 
the  columns  of  the  journals  of  leading  cities. 

An  absorbed  reader  of  French  romances  sits  side  by  si(U> 
with  a  clergA'man  perusing  homilies,  or  endeavoring  io 
flucidate,  tlirough  a  mass  of  commentators,  a  special  text. 
1  Fere  are  to  be  found  ladies  in  pursuit  of  costumes  of  every 
age;  artists  turning  over  the  groat  folio  gal  lories  of  Europe 
for  models  or  suggestions;  lawyers  seeking  precedents  or 


286  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

loading  cases;  journalists  verifying  dates,  speeches,  con- 
ventions, or  other  forgotten  facts;  engineers  studying  the 
literature  of  railways  or  machinery;  actors  or  amateurs  in 
search  of  plays  or  works  on  the  dramatic  art;  physicians 
looking  up  biographies  of  their  profession  or  the  history 
of  epidemics;  students  of  heraldry  after  coats  of  arms;  in- 
ventors searching  the  specifications  and  drawings  of  pat- 
ents; historical  students  pursuing  some  special  field  in 
American  or  foreign  annals;  scientists  verifying  facts  or 
citations  by  original  authorities;  searchers  tracing  personal 
residences  or  deaths  in  old  directories  or  newspapers ;  quer- 
ists seeking  for  the  words  of  some  half-remembered  pas- 
sage in  poetry  or  prose,  or  the  original  author  of  one  of  the 
myriad  proverbs  which  have  no  father;  architects  or  build- 
ers of  houses  comparing  hundreds  of  designs  and  models; 
teachers  perusing  works  on  education  or  comparing  text- 
books new  or  old;  readers  absorbing  the  great  poems  of  the 
world;  writers  in  pursuit  of  new  or  curious  themes  among 
books  of  antiquities  or  folk-lore;  students  of  all  the  ques- 
tions of  finance  and  economic  science;  naturalists  seeking 
to  trace  through  many  volumes  descriptions  of  species; 
pursuers  of  military  or  naval  history  or  science;  enthusi- 
asts venturing  into  the  occult  domains  of  spiritualism  or 
thaumaturgy;  explorers  of  voyages  and  travels  in  every 
region  of  the  globe;  fair  readers,  with  dreamy  eyes,  de- 
vouring the  last  psychological  novel;  devotees  of  musical 
art  perusing  the  lives  or  the  scores  of  great  composers;  col- 
lege and  high-school  students  intent  upon  '^Dooking  up" 
on  themes  of  study  or  composition  or  debate;  and  a  host 
of  other  seekers  after  suggestion  or  information  in  a  li- 
brary of  encyclopedic  range. 


CHAPTEE  15. 

The  History  of  Libraries. 

The  Libran%  from  very  earl}'  times,  has  enlisted  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  learned,  and  the  encomiums  of  the  wise. 
The  actual  origin  of  the  earliest  collection  of  books  (or 
rather  of  manuscripts)  is  lost  in  the  mists  of  remote 
antiquity.  Notwithstanding  professed  descriptions  of  sev- 
eral libraries  found  in  Aulus  Gellius,  Athenaeus,  and 
others,  who  wrote  centuries  after  the  alleged  collections 
were  made,  we  lack  the  convincing  evidence  of  eye-witness- 
es and  contemporaries.  But  so  far  as  critical  research 
has  run,  the  earliest  monuments  of  man  which  approached 
collections  of  written  records  are  found  not  in  Europe,  but 
in  Africa  and  Asia. 

That  land  of  wonders,  Egypt,  abounds  in  hieroglyphic 
inscriptions,  going  back,  as  is  agreed  by  modern  scholars, 
to  the  year  2000  before  the  Christian  era.  A  Papyrus 
manuscript,  too,  exists,  which  is  assigned  to  al)0ut  lOOO  B. 
C.  And  the  earliest  recorded  collection  of  books  in  the 
world,  though  perhaps  not  the  first  that  existed,  was  that 
of  the  Egyptian  king  Eamses  I. — B.  C.  1  100,  near  Thebes, 
which  Diodorus  Siculus  says  bore  the  inscription  "Dispen- 
sary of  the  soul."  Tims  early  were  books  regarded  as 
remedial  agents  of  great  force  and  virtue. 

But  before  the  library  of  Ramses  the  Egyptian  king, 
there  existed  in  Babylonia  collections  of  books,  written  not 
on  parchment,  nor  on  the  more  perishable  papyrus,  but  on 
clay.  Whole  poems,  fables,  laws,  and  hymns  of  the  gods 
have  been  found,  stamped  in  small  characters  upon  baked 
bricks.     These  clay  tablets  or  books  were  arranged  in  nn- 

(287) 


288  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READEES. 

Mcrical  order,  and  the  library  at  Agane,  which  existed 
about  2000  B.  C.  even  had  a  catalogue,  in  which  each  piece 
of  literature  was  numbered,  so  that  readers  had  only  to 
write  down  the  number  of  the  tablet  wanted,  and  the  li- 
brarian would  hand  it  over.  Two  of  these  curious  poems 
in  clay  have  been  found  intact,  one  on  the  deluge,  the  other 
on  the  descent  of  Istar  into  Hades. 

The  next  ancient  library  in  point  of  time  yet  known  to 
us  was  gathered  in  Asia  by  an  Assyrian  King,  and  this 
collection  has  actually  come  down  to  us,  in  propria  persona. 
Buried  beneath  the  earth  for  centuries^  the  archaeologist 
Layard  discovered  in  1850  at  Nineveh,  an  extensive  collec- 
tion of  tablets  or  tiles  of  clay,  covered  with  cuneiform  char- 
acters, and  representing  some  ten  thousand  distinct  works 
or  documents.  The  Assyrian  monarch  Sardanapalus,  a 
great  patron  of  letters,  was  tlie  collector  of  this  primitive 
and  curious  library  of  clay.  He  flourished  about  1650 
B.  C. 

In  Greece,  where  a  copious  and  magnificent  literature 
had  grown  up  centuries  before  Christ,  Pisistratus  collected 
a  library  at  Athens,  and  died  B.  C.  527.  When  Xerxes 
captured  Athens,  this  collection,  which  represents  the 
earliest  record  of  a  library  dedicated  to  the  public,  was 
carried  off  to  Persia,  but  restored  two  centuries  later. 
The  renowned  philosopher  Aristotle  gathered  one  of  the 
largest  Greek  libraries,  about  350  B.  C.  said  to  have  em- 
braced about  1400  volumes,  or  rather,  rolls.  Plato  called 
Aristotle's  residence  "the  house  of  the  reader.'^  This  li- 
brary, also,  was  carried  off  to  Scepsis,  and  later  by  the 
victorious  Sulla  to  Rome.  History  shows  that  the  Greek 
collections  were  the  earliest  "travelling  libraries"  on  rec- 
ord, though  they  went  as  the  spoils  of  war,  and  not  to 
spread  abroad  learning  by  the  arts  of  peace. 


THE    HISTORY   OF   LIBRARIES.  289 

Eome  having  conquered  Athens,  we  hear  no  more  of  the 
Athenian  libraries,  but  the  seat  of  ancient  learning  was 
transferred  to  Alexandria,  where  were  gathered  under  the 
liberal  sway  of  the  Ptolemies,  more  books  than  had  ever 
been  assembled  together  in  any  part  of  the  world.  Marc 
Antony  presented  to  Cleopatra  the  library  of  the  Kings 
of  Pergamus,  said  to  have  contained  200,000  rolls.  There 
is  no  space  to  sketch  the  ancient  libraries,  so  scantily 
commemorated,  of  Greece.  Through  Aristotle's  enthusi- 
asm for  learning,  as  it  is  believed,  the  Ptolemies  were 
fired  with  the  zeal  of  book-collecting,  and  their  capi- 
tal of  Alexandria  became  the  seat  of  extensive  libraries, 
stored  in  the  Brucheion  and  the  Serapenm.  Here,  accord- 
ing to  general  belief,  occurred  the  burning  of  the  famous 
Alexandrian  library  of  700,000  volumes,  by  the  Saracens 
under  Omar,  A.  D.  640.  If  any  one  would  have  an  object 
lesson  in  the  uncertainties  of  history  and  of  human  testi- 
mony, let  him  read  the  various  conflicting  accounts  of  the 
writers  who  have  treated  upon  this  subject.  The  number 
of  volumes  varies  from  700,000,  as  stated  by  Aulus  Gellius, 
to  100,000  by  Eusebius.  The  fact  that  in  ancient  times 
each  book  or  division  of  an  author's  work  written  on  a  roll 
of  papyrus  was  reckoned  as  a  volume,  may  account  for  the 
exaggeration,  since  the  nine  books  of  Herodotus  would 
thus  make  nine  volumes,  and  the  twenty-four  of  Homer's 
Iliad,  twenty-four  volumes,  instead  of  one.  So,  by  an  ar- 
bitrary application  of  averages,  the  size  of  the  Alexandrian 
Library  might  be  brouglit  within  reasonable  dimensions, 
though  tliere  is  nothing  more  misleading  than  the  doctrine 
of  averages,  unless  indeed  it  be  a  false  analogy.  But  tliat 
any  library  eight  hundred  years  before  the  invention  of 
printing  contained  700,000  volumes  in  the  modern  sense 
of  the  word,  when  the  largest  collection  in  the  world,  tliree 
centuries  after  hooks  begun  to  he  nniUiplied  by  typcr,  held 


-"JO  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

loss  than  100,000  volumes,  is  one  of  the  wihiest  fictions 
which  writers  have  imposed  upon  the  credulity  of  ages. 

I  cannot  even  touch  upon  the  libraries  of  the  Romans, 
though  we  have  very  attractive  accounts,  among  others, 
of  the  literary  riches  of  Lucullus,  of  Atticus,  and  of  Cicero. 
The  first  library  in  Rome  was  founded  167  B.  C.  and  in  the 
Augustan  age  they  multiplied,  until  there  were  twenty- 
nine  public  libraries  in  Hadrian's  time,  120  A.  D.  The 
emperor  Julian,  in  the  fourth  century,  was  a  founder  of 
libraries,  and  is  said  to  have  placed  over  the  doors  this 
inscription:  "yl?u*  qiiidem  equos  amant,  alii  oves,  alii 
feros;  milii  vero  a  piierulo  mirandum,  acquirendi  et  possi- 
dendi  lihros  insedit  desiderium." 

The  libraries  of  the  middle  ages  were  neither  large  nor 
numerous.  The  neglect  of  learning  and  of  literature  was 
wide-spread;  only  in  the  monasteries  of  Europe  were  to  be 
found  scholars  who  kept  alive  the  sacred  flame.  In  these 
were  renewed  those  fruitful  labors  of  the  scriptorium  which 
had  preserved  and  multiplied  so  many  precious  books  in 
classic  times  among  the  Romans.  The  monks,  indeed, 
were  not  seldom  creators  as  well  as  cop}dsts,  though  the 
works  which  they  composed  were  mainly  theological  (as 
became  their  sacred  profession  and  ascetic  life).  The 
Latin,  however,  being  the  almost  universal  language  for  so 
many  centuries,  the  love  of  learning  conspired  to  widen 
the  field  of  monastic  study.  Many  zealous  ecclesiastics 
were  found  who  revived  the  classic  authors,  and  copies  of 
the  works  of  poets,  historians,  philosophers  and  rhetori- 
cians were  multiplied.  Then  were  gradually  formed  those 
monastic  libraries  to  which  so  many  thousands  of  mediae- 
val scholars  owed  a  debt  of  gratitude.  The  order  of  Bene- 
dictines took  a  leading  and  effective  part  in  this  revival 
of  learning.  Taxes  were  levied  on  the  inmates  of  monas- 
teries expressly  for  furnishing  the  library  with  books,  and 


THE    HISTORY    OF    LIBRAEIES.  291 

the  novices  in  many  houses  must  contribute  writing  ma- 
terials upon  entering,  and  books  at  the  close  of  their  no- 
vitiate, for  the  enrichment  of  the  library.  Among  notably 
valuable  libraries,  several  of  which  still  survive,  were  those 
of  Monte  Cassino  in  Italy,  the  Abbey  of  Fleury  in  France, 
St.  Gall  in  Switzerland,  and  that  of  the  illustrious  congre- 
gation of  St.  Maur  in  France.  The  latter  had  at  one  time 
no  less  than  one  hundred  and  seven  writers  engaged  in 
multiplying  books. 

The  first  library  in  England  is  recorded  (in  the  Canter- 
bury Chartulary)  to  have  been  given  by  Pope  Gregory  the 
Great,  and  brought  by  St.  Augustine,  first  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  on  his  mission  to  England  about  A.  D.  600.  It 
consisted  of  nine  precious  volumes  on  vellum,  being  copies 
of  parts  of  the  Scriptures,  with  commentaries,  and  a  vol- 
ume of  Lives  of  the  Martyrs:  The  library  of  the  Benedic- 
tine ^Monastery  at  Canterbury  had  grown  in  the  13th  cen- 
tury to  3000  titles,  being  very  rich  in  theology,  but  with 
many  books  also  in  history,  poetry  and  science.  At  York 
had  been  founded,  in  the  8th  century,  a  noble  library  by 
Archbishop  Egbert,  and  the  great  scholar  Alcuin  here  ac- 
quired, amidst  that  "infinite  number  of  excellent  books," 
his  life-long  devotion  to  literature.  When  he  removed  to 
Tours,  in  France,  he  lamented  the  loss  of  the  literary  treas- 
ures of  York,  in  a  poem  composed  of  excellent  hexameters. 
He  begged  of  Charlemagne  to  send  into  Britain  to  pro- 
cure books,  "that  the  garden  of  paradise  may  not  be  con- 
fined to  York." 

Fine  libraries  were  also  gathered  at  the  monasteries  of 
Fnirham,  of  Glastonbury,  and  of  Croyland,  and  at  the  Ab- 
beys of  Whitby  and  Peterborough. 

Nor  were  the  orders  of  Franciscans  and  Dominicans  far 
boliind  as  liook-oollectors,  though  Ihey  commonly  pre- 
ferred to  buy  rather  than  to  transcribe  manuscripts,  like 


292  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READEKS. 

the  Benedictines.  "In  every  convent  of  friars,"  wrote 
Fitzralph  to  the  Pope,  in  1350,  "there  is  a  hirge  and  noble 
library."  And  Eichard  de  Bury,  Bishop  of  Durham,  and 
Chancellor  of  England  in  1334,  whose  "Philobiblon"  is  the 
most  eloquent  treatise  in  praise  of  books  ever  written,  said, 
when  visiting  places  where  the  mendicants  had  convents; 
"there  amid  the  deepest  poverty,  we  found  the  most  pre- 
cious riches  stored  up,"  The  Pope,  it  appears,  relaxed  for 
these  orders  the  rigor  of  their  vows  of  poverty,  in  favor 
of  amassing  books — mindful,  doubtless,  of  that  saying  of 
Solomon  the  wise — "Therefore  get  wisdom,  because  it  is 
better  than  gold." 

Eichard  de  Bury,  the  enthusiast  of  learning,  wrote  thus : 

"The  library,  therefore,  of  wisdom  is  more  precious  than 
all  riches,  and  nothing  that  can  be  wished  for  is  worthy  to 
be  compared  with  it.  Whosoever,  therefore,  acknowledges 
himself  to  be  a  zealous  follower  of  the  truth,  of  happiness, 
of  wisdom,  of  science,  or  even  of  the  faith,  must  of  neces- 
sity make  himself  a  lover  of  books." 

And  said  Joseph  Hall,  Bishop  of  Norwich — "I  can  won- 
der at  nothing  more  than  how  a  man  can  be  idle — but  of 
all  others  a  scholar;  in  so  many  improvements  of  reason, 
in  such  sweed;ness  of  knowledge,  in  such  variety  of  studies, 
in  such  importunity  of  thoughts.  To  find  wit  in  poetry; 
in  philosophy  profoundness;  in  history  wonder  of  events; 
in  oratory,  sweet  eloquence;  in  divinity,  supernatural  light 
and  holy  devotion — whom  would  it  not  ravish  with  de- 
light?" 

Charles  the  Fifth  of  France  amassed  a  fine  library,  after- 
wards sold  to  an  English  nobleman.  Lorenzo  de'  Medici, 
Mathias  Corvinus  of  Hungary,  and  Frederic  Duke  of  Urbino, 
each  gathered  in  the  15th  century  a  magnificent  collection 
of  books.     All  of  these  were  dispersed  later,  though  the 


THE    HISTORY   OF    LIBRARIES.  293 

manuscripts  of  the  Duke  of  Urbino's  collection  are  pre- 
served in  the  library  of  the  Vatican. 

I  may  here  note  a  very  few  of  the  most  extensive  library 
collections  now  existing  in  Europe  and  America. 

1.  Of  the  great  public  libraries  of  Europe,  which  owe 
much  of  their  riches  to  the  government  privilege  of  the 
copy-tax,  the  national  library  of  France  is  the  oldest  and 
the  largest,  now  numbering  two  million  six  hundred  thou- 
sand volumes.  Founded  in  the  15th  century,  it  has  had 
four  hundred  years  of  opportunity  for  steady  and  large  in- 
crease. Paris  abounds  in  other  public  libraries  also,  in 
which  respect  it  is  far  superior  to  London. 

2.  Next  to  the  Bibliotliequo  nationale  of  France,  comes 
the  Library  of  the  British  Museum,  with  2,000,000  vol- 
umes, very  rich  both  in  manuscripts  and  in  printed 
books  in  all  languages.  A  liberal  Parliamentary  grant  of 
$G0,000  a  year  for  purchase  of  books  and  manuscripts 
keeps  this  great  collection  well  up  to  date  as  to  all  import- 
ant new  works,  besides  enabling  it  constantly  to  fill  up 
deficiencies  in  the  literature  of  the  past.  Following  this, 
among  the  great  libraries  having  over  half  a  million  books, 
come  in  numerical  order 

Volumes. 

3.  Eussian  Imperial  Library,  St.  Petersburg,     1,200,000 

4.  Royal  Library  of  Prussia,  Berlin 1.000,000 

5.  Royal  Library  of  Bavaria,  j\lunich, 5)80,000 

<;.  Library  of  Congress,  Washington  City,.  . .        840,000 

7.  Boston  Public  Library,   734,000 

8.  University  Library,  Strasburg,  Cermany,  700,000 

9.  Imperial  Public  Library,  Vienna, 575,000 

1 0.  Bodleian  Library,  Oxford 530,000 

It  is  a  notable  fact  that  among  the  ricliest  monuments  of 
learning  that  have  been  gathered  by  mankind,  the   Uni- 


294  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

versity  libraries  hold  a  very  high  rank.  Reckoned  in  num- 
ber of  volumes,  there  are  many  of  them  which  far  outrank 
the  government  libraries,  except  in  six  instances.  Out  of 
174  libraries,  all  exceeding  100,000  volumes,  as  reported 
in  the  annual  Minerva,  in  October,  1898,  no  less  than  73 
are  the  libraries  of  universities.  Strasburg  heads  the  list, 
with  a  noble  collection  of  700,000  volumes;  then  Oxford 
university,  whose  Bodleian  library  numbers  530,000;  Leip- 
zig university,  504,000;  Cambridge  university,  England, 
Gottingen  university,  and  Harvard  university,  500,000 
each;  the  university  of  Vienna,  475,000;  the  universities  of 
Heidelberg  and  of  Munich,  400,000  each;  Ghent  and  "Wiirz- 
burg  universities,  350,000  each;  Christiania,  Norway, 
university,  and  Tiibingen,  each  340,000 ;  University  of  Chi- 
cago, 330,000;  Copenhagen  university,  305,000;  Breslau, 
Cracow,  Rostock  and  TJpsala,  300,000  each;  Yale  univer- 
sity, Xew  Haven,  280,000;  St.  Petersburg,  257,000; 
Bologna,  255,000; Freiburg  and  Bonn  universities,  250,000 
each;  Prague,  245,000;  Trinity,  Dublin,  232,000;  Konigs- 
berg,  231,000;  Kiel,  229,000;  Naples,  224,000;  and  Buda- 
pest, 210,000.  I  need  not  detain  you  by  enumerating 
those  that  fall  below  200,000  volumes,  but  will  say  that 
the  whole  number  of  volumes  in  the  72  university  libraries 
embraced  in  my  table  is  more  than  fifteen  millions,  wliich 
would  be  much  enlarged  if  smaller  libraries  were  included. 
A  noble  exhibit  is  this,  which  the  institutions  of  the  high- 
est education  hold  up  before  us. 

We  may  now  consider,  somewhat  more  in  detail  as  to 
particulars,  the  origin  and  growth  of  the  libraries  of  the 
United  States.  The  lecord  will  show  an  amazingly  rapid 
development,  chiefly  accomplished  during  the  last  quarter 
of  a  century,  contrasted  with  the  lamentably  slow  growth 
of  earlier  years. 


THE    HISTORY   OF    LIBRARIES.  295 

Thirty  years  ago  the  present  year,  I  was  invited  to  give 
to  the  American  Social  Science  Association,  then  meeting 
at  New  York,  a  discourse  upon  Public  Libraries  in  the 
United  States.  On  recurring  to  this  address,  I  have  been 
agreeably  surprised  to  find  how  completely  its  facts  and 
figures  belong  to  the  domain  of  ancient  history.  For, 
while  it  may  excite  a  smile  to  allude  to  anything  belonging 
to  a  period  only  thirty  years  back  as  ancient  history,  yet, 
so  rapid  has  been  the  accumulation,  not  only  of  books,  but 
of  libraries  themselves  in  that  brief  period  of  three  de- 
cades, as  almost  to  justify  the  term  employed. 

Antiquarians  must  ever  regard  with  interest  the  first 
efforts  for  the  establisliment  of  public  libraries  in  the  New 
World.  The  first  record  of  books  dedicated  to  a  public 
purpose  in  that  part  of  this  country  now  occupied  by  the 
English-speaking  race  is,  I  believe,  to  be  found  in  the  fol- 
lowing entry  in  the  Records  of  the  Virginia  Company  of 
London : 

"November  15,  1620. — After  the  Acts  of  the  former 
Courte  were  read,  a  straunger  stept  in  presentinge  a  Mapp 
of  S""  Walter  Eawlighes  contayinge  a  Descripcon  of  Guiana, 
and  with  the  same  fower  great  books  as  the  Guifte  of  one 
unto  the  Company  that  desyred  his  name  might  not  be 
made  knowne,  whereof  one  booke  was  a  treatise  of  St. 
Augustine  of  the  Citty  of  God  translated  into  English,  the 
other  three  greate  Volumes  wer  the  works  of  Mr.  Perkins' 
newlie  corrected  and  amended,  wch  books  the  Donor  de- 
syred they  might  be  sent  to  the  Colledge  in  Virginia  there 
to  remayne  in  saftie  to  the  use  of  the  collegiates  thereafter, 
and  not  suffered  at  any  time  to  be  sent  abroade  or  used  in 
the  meane  while.  For  wch  so  worthy  a  guifte  my  Lord  of 
Southampton  desyred  the  p'tie  tliat  presented  them  to  re- 


296  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

turne  deserued  thanks  from  himselfe  and  the  rest  of  the 
Company  to  him  that  had  so  kindly  bestowed  them."* 

The  college  here  referred  to  was  the  first  ever  founded 
in  America,  and  was  seated  at  Henrico,  at  the  confluence 
of  the  James  Kiver  with  the  Chickahominy.  It  was  de- 
signed not  only  for  the  education  of  the  Virginia  settlers, 
but  to  teach  science  and  Christianity  to  the  Indians. 
Large  contributions  were  raised  in  England  by  Sir  Edwin 
Sandys,  and  others  of  the  Virginia  Company,  for  its  sup- 
port. But  this  Virginia  college  and  its  incipient  library 
were  doomed  to  a  speedy  extinction.  Like  so  many  other 
brilliant  "prospects  for  planting  arts  and  learning  in 
America,"  it  did  not  survive  the  perils  of  the  colonial 
epoch.  It  was  brought  to  a  period  by  the  bloody  Indian 
massacre  of  March  22,  1622,  when  three  hundred  and 
forty-seven  of  the  Virginia  settlers  were  slaughtered  in  a 
day,  the  new  settlement  broken  up,  and  the  expanding 
lines  of  civilization  contracted  to  the  neighborhood  of 
Jamestown. 

Harvard  University  Library  was  founded  in  1638  by  the 
endowment  of  John  Harvard,  who  bequeathed  to  the  new 
college  his  library  and  half  of  his  estate.  Soon  afterwards 
enriched  by  the  zealous  contributions  of  English  Puritans 
and  philosophers,  of  Berkeley,  and  Baxter,  and  Lightfoot, 
and  Sir  Kenelm  Digby,  the  first  university  library  in 
America,  after  a  century  and  a  quarter  of  usefulness,  was 
totally  destroyed  with  the  college  edifice  in  the  year  1764 
by  fire.  When  we  contemplate  the  ravages  of  this  ele- 
ment, which  has  consumed  so  many  noble  libraries,  de- 
stroying not  only  printed  books  of  priceless  value,  but  often 
precious  manuscripts  which  are  unique  and  irreplaceable. 

*MS.  Records  of  the  Virginia  Company,  in  the  Library  of 
Congress. 


THE   HISTORY    OF    LIBRARIES.  297 

a  lively  sense  of  regret  comes  over  us  that  these  creations 
of  the  intellect,  which  should  be  imperishable,  are  even  yet 
at  the  mercy  of  an  accident  in  all  the  libraries  of  the  world 
save  a  very  few.  The  destruction  of  books  in  private 
hands  is  natural  and  inevitable  enough,  and  goes  on  con- 
tinually. Whole  editions  of  books,  now  sought  with  avid- 
ity as  the  rarest  volumes  known  to  literature,  have  been 
gradually  destroyed  in  innumerable  fires,  worn  out  in  the 
hands  of  readers,  used  for  waste  paper  by  grocers  and  petty 
tradesmen,  swallowed  up  in  the  sack  of  towns,  or  con- 
sumed by  dampness,  mould,  or,  in  rare  instances,  by  the 
remorseless  tooth  of  time.  Yet  there  have  always  existed 
public  libraries  enough,  had  they  been  fire-proof,  to  have 
preserved  many  copies  of  every  book  bequeathed  to  the 
world,  both  before  the  invention  of  printing  and  since. 
But,  when  your  insurance  ofRce  is  bankrupt,  what  becomes 
of  the  insured?  When  nearly  all  our  public  libraries  are 
so  constructed  as  to  become  an  easy  prey  to  the  flames,  the 
loss  of  so  many  books  which  have  completely  perished  from 
the  earth  ceases  to  be  wonderful. 

The  growth  of  Harvard  University  library,  from  its 
second  foundation  a  century  ago,  has  been  steady,  though 
at  no  time  rapid.  Select  and  valuable  in  its  principal  con- 
tents, it  has  received  numerous  benefactions  from  the 
friends  of  learning,  and  promises  to  become  the  best,  as  it 
already  is  much  the  largest,  among  the  university  libraries 
of  the  country.  Its  present  strength  is  about  500,000 
volumes. 

The  year  1700  witnessed  the  birth  of  the  first  New  York 
library  open  to  public  use.  The  Rev.  John  Sharp,  then 
chaplain  of  His  Majesty's  forces  in  that  city  (it  was  in  the 
days  of  good  King  William  of  Orange),  bequoathod  his 
private  collection  of  books  to  found  a  "public  lil)rary"  in 


298  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

New  York.  The  library  thus  organized  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  corporation  of  the  city,  but  the  first  city 
library  of  New  York  languished  with  little  or  no  increase 
until  1754,  when  a  society  of  gentlemen  undertook  to 
found  a  public  library  by  subscription,  and  succeeded  so 
well  that  the  city  authorities  turned  over  to  them  what  re- 
mained of  the  Public  City  Library.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  the  New  York  Society  Library,  one  of  the  largest 
of  the  proprietary  libraries  of  the  country.  It  was  then, 
and  for  a  long  time  afterwards,  commonly  known  as  "The 
City  Library."  The  Continental  Congress  profited  by  its 
stores,  there  being  no  other  library  open  to  their  use ;  and 
the  First  Congress  under  the  Constitution,  which  met  in 
New  York  in  1789,  received  the  free  use  of  the  books  it 
contained.  The  library  is  conducted  on  the  share  system, 
the  payment  of  twenty-five  dollars,  and  an  annual  assess- 
ment of  sis  dollars,  giving  any  one  the  privilege  of  mem- 
bership.    It  now  contains  about  100,000  volumes. 

The  same  year,  1700,  in  which  the  New  York  Library 
was  founded,  ten  Connecticut  ministers  met  together  at 
Ljrme,  each  bringing  a  number  of  books,  and  saying, 
"I  give  these  books  for  the  founding  of  a  college  in  this 
colony."  Such  was  the  foundation  of  Yale  University,  an 
institution  that  has  done  inestimable  service  to  the  cause 
of  letters,  having  been  fruitful  of  writers  of  books,  as  well 
as  of  living  contributions  to  the  ranks  of  every  learned 
profession.  Thirty  years  later,  we  find  the  good  Bishop 
Berkeley  pausing  from  the  lofty  speculations  which  ab- 
sorbed him,  to  send  over  to  Yale  College  what  was  called 
"the  finest  collection  of  books  that  ever  came  together  at 
one  time  into  America."  For  a  century  and  a  half  the 
growth  of  this  library  was  very  slow,  the  college  being  op- 
pressed with  poverty.     In  1869,  the  number  of  volumes 


THE   HISTORY    OF    LIBRAEIES,  299 

had  risen  only  to  50,000,  but  it  is  cheering  to  relate  that 
the  last  thirty  years  have  witnessed  a  growth  so  rapid  that 
in  1899  Yale  University  Library  had  285,000  volumes. 

The  fourth  considerable  library  founded  in  the  United 
States  was  due  in  a  large  degree  to  the  industry  and  zeal 
for  knowledge  of  the  illustrous  Franklin.  As  unquestion- 
ably the  first  established  proprietary  library  in  America, 
the  Library  Company  of  Pliiladelphia  merits  especial  no- 
tice. Let  us  reverently  take  a  leaf  out  of  the  autobiogra- 
phy of  the  printer-statesman  of  Pennsylvania : 

"And  now  I  set  on  foot  my  first  project  of  a  public  na- 
ture, that  for  a  subscription  library.  I  drew  up  the  pro- 
posals, got  them  put  into  form  by  our  great  scrivener, 
Brockden,  and  by  the  help  of  my  friends  in  the  Junto  [the 
Junto  was  a  club  for  mutual  improvement,  founded  by 
Franklin]  procured  fifty  subscribers  at  forty  shillings  each 
to  begin  with,  and  ten  shillings  a  year  for  fifty  years,  the 
term  our  company  was  to  continue.  We  afterwards  ob- 
tained a  charter,  the  company  being  increased  to  one  hun- 
dred ;  this  was  the  mother  of  all  the  Xorth  American  sub- 
scription libraries  now  so  numerous.  It  is  become  a  great 
thing  itself,  and  continually  increasing.  These  libraries 
have  improved  the  general  conversation  of  the  Americans, 
made  the  common  tradesmen  and  farmers  as  intelligent  as 
most  gentlemen  from  other  countries,  and  perhaps  have 
contributed  in  some  degree  to  the  stand  so  generally  made 
throughout  the  colonies  in  defence  of  their  privileges." 

When  this  Philadelphia  Library  was  founded,  in  1731, 
not  a  single  city  or  town  in  England  possessed  a  subscrip- 
tion library.  Even  the  library  of  the  British  Museum, 
since  become  the  greatest  collection  of  books  in  tlic  wDrld, 
save  one,  was  not  opened  until  1759,  more  than  a  (luarter 
of  a  century  afterwards.     Although   not  designed  as  a 


300 


A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 


public  library  of  circulation,  save  to  its  own  subscribers, 
the  Philadelphia  Library  has  been  kept  free  to  all  for  refer- 
ence and  consultation.  The  record  of  the  gradual  in- 
crease of  the  first  Philadelphia  Library  from  its  first  few 
hundred  volumes,  when  Franklin  was  but  twenty-five  years 
of  age,  to  its  present  rank  as  the  largest  proprietary  library 
in  America,  with  195,000  volumes  of  books,  is  highly  in- 
teresting. Its  history,  in  fact,  is  to  a  large  extent  the  his- 
tory of  intellectual  culture  in  Philadelphia,  which  remain- 
ed, until  the  second  decade  in  the  present  century,  the 
foremost  city  of  the  Union  in  population,  and,  from  1791 
to  1800,  the  seat  of  government  of  the  United  States. 

The  Philadelphia  Library  Company,  in  1774,  voted  that 
"the  gentlemen  who  were  to  meet  in  Congress"  in  that  city 
should  be  furnished  with  such  books  as  they  might  have 
occasion  for;  and  the  same  privilege  was  exercised  on  the 
return  of  the  Government  to  that  city,  in  1791,  and  until 
the  removal  of  Congress  to  "Washington  in  1800.  During 
the  nine  months'  occupation  of  Philadelphia  by  the  British 
army,  it  is  refreshing  to  read  that  the  conquerors  lifted  no 
spear  against  the  Muses'  bower,  but  that  "the  officers,  with- 
out exception,  left  deposits,  and  paid  hire  for  the  books 
borrowed  by  them."  The  collection,  in  respect  of  early 
printed  books,  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  valuable  in 
America,  embracing  some  books  and  files  of  newspapers 
which  axe  to  be  found  in  no  other  public  library.  The  se- 
lection of  new  books  has  been  kept  unusually  free  from  the 
masses  of  novels  and  other  ephemeral  publications  which 
overload  most  of  our  popular  libraries,  and  the  collection, 
although  limited  in  extent  in  every  field,  and  purposely 
leaving  special  topics,  such  as  the  medical  and  natural  sci- 
ences, to  the  scientific  libraries  which  abound  in  Philadel- 
phia, affords  to  the  man  of  letters  a  good  working  library. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    LIBRAEIES.  301 

The  shares  in  the  library  cost  forty  dollars,  xsath  an  annual 
assessment  of  four  dollars  to  each  stockholder. 

In  1869,  the  great  bequest  of  Doctor  James  Eush  to  the 
Philadelphia  Library  of  his  whole  property,  valued  at  over 
$1,000,000,  was  accepted  by  its  stockholders,  by  the  bare 
majority  of  five  votes  in  a  poll  of  over  five  hundred.  This 
lack  of  harmony  is  attributable  to  the  fact  that  the  be- 
quest, so  generous  in  itself,  was  hampered  by  the  donor 
with  numerous  conditions,  deemed  by  many  friends  of  the 
library  to  be  highly  onerous  and  vexatious.  Not  the  least 
among  these  was  the  following,  which  is  cited  from  the 
will  itself: 

"Let  the  library  not  keep  cushioned  seats  for  time-wast- 
ing and  lounging  readers,  nor  places  for  every-day  novels, 
mind-tainting  reviews,  controversial  politics,  scribblings 
of  poetry  and  prose,  biographies  of  unknown  names,  nor 
for  those  teachers  of  disjointed  thinking,  the  daily  news- 
papers.^' 

Here  is  one  more  melancholy  instance  of  a  broad  and 
liberal  bequest  narrowly  bestowed.  Tlie  spirit  which  ani- 
mated the  respectable  testator  in  attempting  to  exclude 
the  larger  part  of  modern  literature  from  the  library  wliieh 
his  money  was  to  benefit  may  have  been  unexceptionable 
enough.  Doubtless  there  are  evils  connected  with  a  public 
supply  of  frivolous  and  trifling  literature;  and  perhaps  our 
periodicals  may  be  justly  chargeable  with  devoting  an  un- 
due proportion  of  their  columns  to  topics  of  merely  ephem- 
eral interest.  But  it  should  never  be  forgotten  tliat  the 
literature  of  any  period  is  and  must  be  largely  occupied 
with  the  questions  of  the  day.  Thus,  and  tlms  only,  it  be- 
comes a  representative  literature,  and  it  is  precious  to  pos- 
terity in  proportion  as  it  accurately  reflects  the  spirit,  tlie 
prejudices,  and  the  personalities  of  a  time  which  has  passed 


302  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

into  history,  leaving  behind  it  no  living  representatives. 
If  we  admit  that  the  development  of  the  human  intellect 
at  any  particular  period  is  worth  studying,  then  all  books 
are,  or  may  become,  useful.  It  is  amazing  that  a  person 
with  any  pretensions  to  discernment  should  denounce 
newspapers  as  unfitted  to  form  a  part  of  a  public  library. 
The  best  newspapers  of  the  time  are  sometimes  the  best 
books  of  the  time.  A  first-class  daily  journal  is  an  epi- 
tome of  the  world,  recording  the  life  and  the  deeds  of  men, 
their  laws  and  their  literature,  their  politics  and  religion, 
their  social  and  criminal  statistics,  the  progress  of  inven- 
tion and  of  art,  the  revolutions  of  empires,  and  the  latest 
results  of  science.  Grant  that  newspapers  are  prejudiced, 
superficial,  unfair;  so  also  are  books.  Grant  that  the 
journals  often  give  place  to  things  scurrilous  and  base;  but 
can  there  be  anything  baser  or  more  scurrilous  than  are 
suffered  to  run  riot  in  books?  There  is  to  be  found  hid- 
den away  in  the  pages  of  some  books  such  filth  as  no  man 
would  dare  to  print  in  a  newspaper,  from  fear  of  the  in- 
stant wrath  of  the  passers-by. 

"When  I  consider  the  debt  which  libraries  and  literature 
alike  owe  to  the  daily  and  weekly  press,  it  is  difficult  to 
characterize  with  patience  the  Parthian  arrow  flung  at 
it  from  the  grave  of  a  querulous  millionaire,  who  will  owe 
to  these  very  newspapers  the  greater  part  of  his  success 
and  his  reputation.  The  father  of  the  respectable  testa- 
tor. Doctor  Benjamin  Eush,  has  left  on  record  many 
learned  speculations  concerning  the  signs  and  evidences 
of  lunacy.  We  may  now  add  to  the  number  the  vagaries 
of  the  author  of  a  ponderous  work  on  the  human  intellect, 
who  gravely  proposed  to  hand  over  to  posterity  an  expur- 
gated copy  of  the  nineteenth  century,  with  all  its  news- 
papers left  out. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    LIBRARIES.  303 

The  Library  of  Congress,  or,  as  it  was  called  m  its  first 
general  catalogue  in  1815,  "The  Library  of  the  United 
States,"  was  founded  in  1800,  by  the  purchase  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  books  by  act  of  Congress,  upon  the 
removal  of  the  government  to  Washington.  By  the  act  of 
January  26,  1803,  entitled  "An  act  concerning  the  Li- 
brary for  the  use  of  both  Houses  of  Congress,"  this 
library  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  joint  committee  of 
both  Houses  of  Congress,  consisting  of  three  Senators  and 
three  Representatives,  and  a  Librarian,  to  be  appointed  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  It  had  grown  to  the 
number  of  only  3,000  volumes  in  181-1,  when  the  British 
army  made  a  bonfire  of  our  national  Capitol,  and  the  li- 
brary was  consumed  in  the  ruins.  The  first  library  of 
Congress  being  thus  destroyed,  ex-President  Jefferson, 
then  living,  involved  in  debt,  and  in  his  old  age,  at  Monti- 
cello,  offered  his  fine  private  library  of  6,700  volumes  to 
Congress,  through  friends  in  that  body,  the  terms  of  pay- 
ment to  be  made  convenient  to  the  public,  and  the  price 
to  be  fixed  by  a  committee.  The  proposition  met  with 
able  advocacy  and  also  with  some  warm  opposition.  It  is 
illustrative  of  the  crude  conceptions  regarding  the  uses  of 
books  which  prevailed  in  the  minds  of  some  members,  tliat 
the  library  was  objected  to  on  the  somewhat  incongru- 
ous grounds  of  embracing  too  many  editions  of  tlie  Bible, 
and  a  number  of  tlie  French  writers  in  ske])tical  pliiloso- 
phy.  It  was  gravely  proposed  to  pack  up  this  portion  of 
the  library,  and  return  it  to  the  illustrious  owner  at  Monti- 
cello,  paying  liim  for  the  remainder.  More  enlightened 
counsels,  however,  prevailed,  and  the  nation  became  pos- 
sessed, for  about  $23,000,  of  a  good  basis  for  a  public  li- 
brary which  might  become  worthy  of  the  country.  The 
collection  thus  formed  grew  by  slow  accretion  until,  in 
1851,  it  had  accumulated  55,000  volumes.     On  the  24th 


304  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

of  December  in  that  year,  a  defective  flue  in  the  Capitol 
set  fire  to  the  wood-work  with  which  the  whole  library  was 
surrounded,  and  the  result  was  a  conflagration,  from  which 
20,000  volumes  only  were  saved.  Congress  at  once  appro- 
priated, with  praiseworthy  liberality,  $75,000  for  the  pur- 
chase of  new  books,  and  $92,500  for  rebuilding  the  library 
room  in  solid  iron;  the  first  instance  of  the  employment  of 
that  safe  and  permanent  material,  so  capable  of  the  light- 
est and  most  beautiful  architectural  effects,  in  the  entire 
interior  structure  of  any  public  building.  The  appropria- 
tion of  $75,000  was  principally  expended  in  the  purchase 
of  standard  English  literature,  including  complete  sets  of 
many  important  periodicals,  and  a  selection  of  the  more 
costly  works  in  science  and  the  fine  arts.  In  1866,  two 
wings,  each  as  large  as  the  central  library,  and  constructed 
of  the  same  fire-proof  material,  were  added  to  it,  and  quick- 
ly filled  by  the  accession,  the  same  year  and  the  following, 
of  two  large  libraries,  that  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
and  the  historical  library  of  Peter  Force,  of  Washington. 
The  latter  was  the  largest  private  library  ever  then 
brought  together  in  the  United  States,  but  its  chief  value 
consisted  in  its  possession  of  a  very  great  proportion  of  the 
books  relating  to  the  settlement,  history,  topography,  and 
pohtics  of  America,  its  45,000  pamphlets,  its  files  of  early 
newspapers  of  the  Eevolution,  its  early  printed  books,  and 
its  rich  assemblage  of  maps  and  manuscripts,  many  of  the 
latter  being  original  autographs  of  the  highest  historical 
interest,  including  military  letters  and  papers  of  the  period 
of  the  American  Eevolution.  The  Smithsonian  library, 
the  custody  of  w^hich  was  accepted  by  Congress  as  a  trust, 
is  rich  in  scientific  works  in  all  the  languages  of  Europe, 
and  forms  an  extensive  and  appropriate  supplement  to  the 
Library  of  Congress,  the  chief  strength  of  which  lies  in 


THE    HISTORY   OF    LIBRARIES.  305 

Jurisprudence,  political  science,  history,  and  books  relating 
to  America.  Yet  no  department  of  literature  or  science 
has  been  left  unrepresented  in  its  formation,  and  the  fact 
has  been  kept  steadily  in  view  that  the  Library  of  the 
Government  must  become,  sooner  or  later,  a  universal 
one.  As  the  only  library  which  is  entitled  to  the  benefit 
of  the  copyright  law,  by  which  copies  of  each  publication 
for  which  the  Government  grants  an  exclusive  right  must 
be  deposited  in  the  National  Library,  this  collection  must 
become  annually  more  important  as  an  exponent  of  the 
growth  of  American  literature.  This  wise  provision  of 
law  prevents  the  dispersion  or  destruction  of  books  that 
tend  continually  to  disappear;  a  benefit  to  the  cause  of 
letters,  the  full  value  of  whicli  it  requires  slight  reflection 
to  estimate. 

This  National  Library  now  embraces  840,000  volumes, 
besides  about  250,000  pamphlets.  It  is  freely  open,  as  a 
library  of  reference  and  reading,  to  the  whole  people;  but 
the  books  are  not  permitted  to  be  drawn  out,  except  by 
Senators  and  Representatives  and  a  few  officials  for  use  at 
the  seat  of  government.  Its  new,  commodious  and  beauti- 
ful building,  which  may  fitly  be  called  the  book-palace  of 
the  American  people,  open  day  and  evening  to  all  comers, 
is  a  delight  to  the  eye,  and  to  the  mind. 

The  library  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum  originated,  in  tlu; 
year  1806,  with  a  society  of  gentlemen  of  literary  tastes, 
who  aimed  at  creating  a  reading-room  for  the  best  foreign 
and  American  periodicals,  together  willi  a  liKrary  of  books. 
To  this  a  gallery  of  art  was  subsequently  added.  The  un- 
dertaking proved  at  once  successful,  leaving  us  to  wonder 
why  cultivated  Boston,  though  abounding  in  special  and 
parish  libraries,  should  so  long  have  done  without  a  good 
general  library;  New  York  having  anticipated  her  by  fifty- 


306  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

two  years,  and  Philadelphia  by  three-quarters  of  a  cen- 
tury. The  Athenaeum  Library  is  peculiarly  rich  in  files 
of  American  newspapers,  both  old  and  new,  and  its  collec- 
tion of  early  pamphlets  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  country. 
In  literature  and  science  it  embraces  a  heavy  proportion  of 
the  best  books,  its  total  number  of  volumes  being  reckoned 
at  190,000.  Its  collection  of  books,  pamphlets,  and  news- 
papers relating  to  the  recent  civil  war  is  among  the  com- 
pletest  known.  The  price  of  a  share  in  the  Athenaeum  is 
three  hundred  dollars,  a  large  sum  when  compared  with 
that  of  other  proprietary  libraries;  but  it  involves  much 
more  valuable  property-rights  than  any  other.  The  an- 
nual assessment  is  five  dollars  to  shareholders,  who  alone 
possess  the  right  to  draw  books.  The  proprietors  have 
also  the  power  to  grant  free  admission  to  others,  and  the 
library  and  reading-room  are  thus  thrown  open  for  refer- 
ence to  a  wide  range  of  readers. 

The  history  of  the  Astor  Library,  opened  in  1854,  has 
been  made  too  familiar  by  repeated  publication  to  need 
repetition  here.  The  generous  founder  gave  two  per  cent, 
out  of  his  fortune  of  $20,000,000  to  create  a  free  public 
library  for  the  city  which  had  given  him  all  his  wealth. 
The  gift  was  a  splendid  one,  greater  than  had  ever  before 
been  given  in  money  to  found  a  library.  Moreover,  the 
$400,000  of  Mr.  Astor,  half  a  century  ago,  appeared  to  be, 
and  perhaps  was,  a  larger  sum  relatively  than  four  millions 
in  New  York  of  to-day.  Yet  it  remains  true  that  the  be- 
quest was  but  one-fiftieth  part  of  the  fortune  of  the  donor, 
and  that  the  growth  and  even  the  proper  accommodation 
of  the  library  must  have  stopped,  but  for  the  spontaneous 
supplementary  gifts  of  the  principal  inheritors  of  his  vast 
wealth. 

The  growth  of  the  Astor  library  has  been  very  slow,  the 


THE   HISTORY    OF    LIBRAEIES.  307 

annual  income  from  what  was  left  of  Mr.  Astor's  $-400,000 
bequest,  after  defraying  the  cost  of  the  library  building, 
and  the  $100,000  expended  for  books  at  its  foundation  in 
18-48,  having  been  so  small  as  to  necessitate  a  pinching 
economy,  both  in  salaries  of  the  library  staff,  and  in  the 
annual  purchase  of  books.  It  was  an  example  of  a  gener- 
ous act  performed  in  a  niggardly  way.  But  after  the  lapse 
of  half  a  century,  enlightened  public  policy,  building  upon 
the  Astor  foundation,  and  on  the  Lenox  and  Tilden  be- 
quests for  founding  public  libraries  in  New  York  city,  is 
about  to  equip  that  long  neglected  city  with  a  library 
worthy  of  the  name.  There  has  already  been  gathered 
from  these  three  united  benefactions,  a  collection  of  no 
less  than  450,000  volumes,  making  the  Xew  York  Public 
Library  take  rank  as  the  fourth,  numerically,  in  the  United 
vStates. 

While  no  library  in  America  has  yet  reached  one  million 
volumes,  there  are  five  li])rarie3  in  Europe,  which  have 
passed  the  million  mark.  Some  of  these,  it  is  true,  are 
repositories  of  ancient  and  mediaeval  literature,  cliiofly, 
with  a  considerable  representation  of  the  books  of  the  last 
century,  and  but  few  accessions  from  the  more  modern 
press.  Such,  for  the  most  part,  are  the  numerous  libraries 
of  Italy,  while  others,  like  the  Library  of  the  British 
Museum,  in  London,  and  the  National  Library,  at  Paris, 
are  about  equally  ricli  in  ancient  and  modern  literature. 
The  one  great  advantage  which  European  libraries  possess 
over  American  consists  in  the  stores  of  ancient  literature 
which  the  accumulations  of  the  past  have  given  them. 
This  advantage,  so  far  as  manuscripts  and  early  printed 
books  are  concerned,  can  never  be  overcome.  With  one 
or  two  hundred  thousand  volumes  as  a  Ijasis,  what  but  ut- 
ter neglect  can  prevent  a  library  from  becoming  a  great 


308  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   EEADERS. 

and  useful  institution?  The  most  moderate  share  of  dis- 
crimination, applied  to  the  selection  of  current  literature, 
will  keep  up  the  cliaracter  of  the  collection  as  a  progres- 
sive one.  But  with  nothing  at  all  as  a  basis,  as  most  of 
our  large  American  libraries  have  started,  it  will  take  gen- 
erations for  us  to  overtake  some  of  the  vast  collections  of 
Europe — even  numerically. 

In  the  "American  Almanac"  for  1837  was  published  the 
earliest  statistical  aceoimt  of  American  libraries  which  I 
have  found.  It  is  confined  to  a  statement  of  the  numer- 
ical contents  of  twenty  public  and  university  libraries,  be- 
ing all  the  American  libraries  which  then  (sixty  years 
since)  contained  over  10,000  volumes  each.  The  largest 
library  in  the  United  States  at  that  date  was  that  of  the 
Philadelphia  Library  Company,  which  embraced  44,000 
volumes.  The  first  organized  effort  to  collect  the  full  sta- 
tistics of  libraries  in  the  United  States  was  made  in  1849, 
by  Professor  C.  C.  Jewett,  then  librarian  of  the  Smithson- 
ian Institution,  and  the  results  were  published  in  1851,  un- 
der the  auspices  of  that  institution,  in  a  volume  of  207 
pages.  It  contains  interesting  notices  of  numerous  libra- 
ries, only  forty  of  which,  however,  contained  as  many  as 
10,000  volumes  each.  In  1859,  Mr.  W.  J.  Ehees,  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  published  "A  Manual  of  Public 
Libraries,  Institutions,  and  Societies  in  the  United  States," 
a  large  volume  of  687  pages,  filled  with  statistical  informa- 
tion in  great  detail,  and  recording  the  number  of  volumes 
in  1338  libraries.  This  work  was  an  expansion  of  that  of 
Professor  Jewett.  The  next  publication  of  the  statistics 
of  American  Libraries,  of  an  official  character,  was  pub- 
lished in  "The  iS"ational  Almanac,"  Philadelphia,  for  the 
year  1864,  pp.  58-62,  and  was  prepared  by  the  present 
writer.     It  gave  the  statistics  of  104  libraries,  each  num- 


THE    HISTORY   OF    LIBRARIES.  309 

bering  10,000  volumes  or  upwards,  exhibiting  a  gratifying 
progress  in  all  the  larger  collections,  and  commemorating 
the  more  advanced  and  vigorous  of  the  new  libraries  which 
had  sprung  into  life. 

The  work  of  collecting  and  publishing  the  statistics  of 
American  Libraries  has  for  years  past  been  admirably  per- 
formed by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education.  Be- 
gun in  18T5,  that  institution  has  issued  four  tabular  state- 
ments of  all  libraries  responding  to  its  circulars  of  inquiry, 
and  having  (as  last  reported  in  1897)  one  thousand  vol- 
umes or  upwards.  Besides  these  invaluable  reports,  cost- 
ing much  careful  labor  and  great  expense,  the  Bureau  of 
Education  published,  in  187G,  an  extensive  work  wholly 
devoted  to  the  subject  of  libraries,  bearing  the  title  "Spe- 
cial Eeport  on  Public  Libraries  in  the  United  States." 
This  publication  (now  wholly  out  of  print)  consisted  of 
1222  pages,  replete  with  information  upon  the  history, 
management,  and  condition  of  American  Libraries,  under 
the  editorship  of  S.  E.  Warren  and  S.  N.  Clark,  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education.  It  embraced  many  original  contri- 
butions upon  topics  connected  with  library  science,  by  ex- 
perienced librarians,  viz:  Messrs.  W.  F.  Poole,  Justin 
Winsor,  C.  A.  Cutter,  J.  S.  Billings,  Theo.  Gill,  :Melvil 
Dewey,  0.  H.  Eobinson,  W.  I.  Fletcher,  F.  B.  Perkins,  H. 
A.  Homes,  A.  E.  Spofford,  and  others. 

I  have  prepared  a  table  of  the  numerical  contents  of  the 
thirty-four  largest  libraries  in  this  country  in  1897,  being 
all  those  having  100,000  volumes  each  or  ujjwards: 

Tviljrary  of  Congress,  Washington, 810,000 

lioston  Public  Library,  Boston, 7:5(),()0() 

Harvard  University  Library,  Cambridge, 510,000 

New  York  Public  Library,  New  York  City l.-.(),()00 

University  of  Chicago  Ijibrary, ;{:J5,000 


310  A   BOOK   FOR  ALL   BEADERS. 

New  York  State  Library,  Albany, 320,710 

Yale  Uuiversity  Library,  New  Haven, 285,000 

New  York  Mercantile  Library,  New  York, 270,000 

Columbia  University  Lil)rary.  New  York, 2G0,000 

Chicago  Public  Library, 235,385 

Cincinnati  Public  Library, 223,043 

Cornell  University  Library,  Itliaca,  N.  Y., 220,000 

Sutro  Library,  San  Francisco, 200,300 

Newberry  Library,  Chicago,   203,108 

Philadelphia  Library  Company,   200,000 

Philadelphia  Mercantile  Library,  190,000 

Boston  Athenaeum  Library, 190,000 

Enoch  Pratt  Library,  Baltimore,  185,902 

Philadelphia  Mercantile  Library, 183,000 

Detroit  Public  Library,  Detroit,  Mich., 148,198 

University  of  Pennsylvania  Library,  Phila., ....  140,000 

Princeton  University  Library,  Princeton,  N.  J.,  135,000 

Pennsylvania  State  Library,  Harrisburg, 134,000 

Peabody  Institute  Library,  Baltimore, 130,000 

Cleveland  Public  Library,  Cleveland,  0., 129,000 

St.  Louis  Public  Library,  125,000 

Mechanics  and  Tradesmen's  Library,  New  York,  115,185 

Free  Public  Library,  Worcester,  Mass., 115,000 

San  Francisco  Public  Library, 108,066 

Philadelphia  Free  Library,  105,000 

American  Antiquarian  Society  Library  ,Worcester, 

Mass.,    105,000 

California  State  Library,  Sacramento, 100,032 

Massachusetts  State  Library,  Boston, 100,000 

New  York  Society  Library,  New  York, 100,000 

Public  libraries  endowed  by  private  munificence  form  al- 
ready a  large  class,  and  these  are  constantly  increasing.  Of 
the  public  libraries  founded  by  individual  bequest,  some  of 


THE    HISTORY    OF    LIBRAEIES.  311 

the  principal  are  the  Public  Library  of  Xew  York,  the  Wat- 
kinson  Library,  at  Hartford,  the  Peabody  Institute  Libra- 
ries, of  Baltimore,  and  at  Danvers  and  Peabody,  Mass.,  the 
Newberry  Library  and  the  John  Crerar  Library  at  Chi- 
cago, the  Sutro  Library,  San  Francisco,  tlie  Enoch  Pratt 
Library,  Baltimore,  and  the  Carnegie  Libraries  at  Pitts- 
burgh and  Allegheny  City,  Pa.  Nearly  all  of  them  are 
the  growth  of  the  last  quarter  of  a  century.  The  more 
prominent,  in  point  of  well  equipped  buildings  or  collec- 
tions of  books,  are  here  named,  including  all  which  num- 
ber ten  thousand  volumes  each,  or  upwards,  among  tbe 
public  libraries  associated  with  tlie  founder's  name. 
New  York  Public  Library   (Astor  Lenox  and 

Tilden  Foundations),    450,000 

Newberry  Library,  Chicago,   203,100 

Sutro  Library,  San  Francisco,   206,300 

Enoch  Pratt  Library,  Baltimore,   185,900 

Peabody  Institute  Library,  Baltimore, 130,000 

Davenport  Library,  Bath,  N.  Y., 90,000 

Silas  Bronson  Library,  "Waterbury,  Conn., 52,000 

Pratt  Institute  Free  Library,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,.  .       51,000 

AYatkinson  Library,  Hartford,  Conn., 47,000 

Sage  Library,  New  Brunswick,  N.  Y., 43,000 

Case  Library,  Cleveland,  Ohio, 40,000 

Grosvenor  Library,  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 39,000 

Forbes  Library,  Northampton,  Mass.,   36,000 

Cooper  Union  Library,  New  York, 34,000 

Fisk  Free  Public  Library,  New  Orleans, 33,000 

Peabody  Institute  Library,  Peabody,  Mass.,.  . . .       33,000 

Pcynolds  Lil)rary,  Rochester,  N.  Y., 33,000 

Carnegie  Free  Library,  Allegheny,  Pa., 30,000 

Fletcher  Free  Li])rary,  Burlington,  Vt., 30.000 

Howard  "Nfcmorial  Library,  New  Orleans, 26,000 

Carnegie  Library,  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 25,000 


312  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

Sage  Public  Library,  West  Bay  City,  Mich., 25,000 

Hoyt  Public  Library,  Saginaw,  Mich., 24,000 

Osterhout  Free  Library,  Wilkesbarre,  Pa......  2-i,000 

Sejmiour  Library,  Auburn,  N.  Y., 24,000 

Hackley  Public  Library,  Muskegon,  Mich 23,000 

"Willard  Library,  Evansville,  Ind., 22,000 

Otis  Library,  Norwich,  Conn., 21,000 

Morrison-Reeves  Library,  Richmond,  Ind......  21,000 

Baxter  Memorial  Library,  Rutland,  Vt., 20,000 

Cornell  Library  Association,  Ithaca,  N.  Y 20,000 

Thomas  Crane  Public  Library,  Quincy,  Mass.,.  .  19,000 

Dimmick  Library,  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa., 18,000 

Gail  Borden  Public  Library,  Elgin,  111., 17,000 

Peabody  Institute  Library,  Danvers,  Mass.,.  . .  .  17,000 

Tufts  Library,  Weymouth,  Mass., 17,000 

Warder  Public  Library,  Springfield,  Ohio, 17,000 

Withers  Public  Library,  Bloomington.  111.,.  . ,  ,  15,000 

Cary  Library,  Lexington,  Mass., 15,000 

Fritz  Public  Library,  Chelsea,  Mass., 15,000 

Turner  Free  Library,  Randolph,  Mass., 15,000 

Ames  Free  Library,  North  Easton,  Mass., 14,000 

BigeloTV  Free  Library,  Clinton,  Mass., 14,000 

Clarke  Public  Library,  Coldwater,  Mich., 14,000 

Harris  Institute  Library,  Woonsocket,  R.  I.,.  . .  .  14,000 

Merrick  Public  Library,  Brookfield,  Mass., 14,000 

Robbins  Library,  Arlington,  Mass., 14,000 

Nevins  Memorial  Library,  Methuen,  Mass., ....  14,000 

Sturgis  Library,  Barnstable,  Mass., 13,000 

Birchard  Library,  Fremont,  Ohio, 12,500 

James  Prendergast  Library,  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  12,500 

Rogers  Free  Library,  Bristol,  R.  L, 12,300 

Abbott  Public  Library,  Marblehead,  Mass.,  ....  12,000 

Armour  Institute,  Chicago,  111., 12,000 


THE    HISTOET   OF    LIBRARIES.  313 

Beebe  Town  Library,  Wakefield,  Mass., 12,000 

Carnegie  Free  Library,  Braddock,  Pa., 12,000 

Goodnow  Library,  South  Sudbury,  Mass., 12,000 

Millicent  Library,  Fairhaven,  Mass., 12,000 

Thayer  Public  Library,  South  Braintree,  Mass.,       11,000 

Dyer  Library,  Saco,  Maine, 10,500 

Cossit  Library,  Memphis,  Tenn., 10,000 

Gloucester  (Mass.)  Sa^yyer  Free  Library, 10,000 

Ferguson  Library,  Stamford,  Conn., 10,000 

Parlin  Memorial  Library,  Everett,  Mass., 10,000 

Jennie  D.  Haynes  Library,  Alton,  111., 10,000 

Hornell  Free  Library,  Hornellsville,  jST.  Y.,  ....  10,000 
Besides  the  preceding  list,  purposely  confined  to  free 
libraries  chiefly  founded  by  individuals,  which  have  reached 
the  ten  thousand  volume  mark,  there  are  a  multitude  of 
others,  too  numerous  to  be  named,  having  a  less  number  of 
volumes.  In  fact,  the  public  spirit  which  gives  freely  of 
private  wealth  to  enlarge  the  intelligence  of  the  commun- 
ity may  be  said  to  grow  by  emulation.  Many  men  who 
have  made  fortunes  have  endowed  their  native  places  with 
libraries.  It  is  yearly  becoming  more  and  more  widely 
recognized  that  a  man  can  build  no  monument  to  him- 
self so  honorable  or  so  lasting  as  a  free  public  library.  Ittj 
influence  is  well  nigh  universal,  and  its  benefits  are  per- 
ennial. 

We  now  come  to  consider  the  city  or  town  libraries,  cre- 
ated or  maintained  by  voluntary  taxation.  These,  like 
the  class  of  libraries  founded  by  private  munificence,  are 
purely  a  modern  growth.  While  the  earliest  movement 
in  this  direction  in  Great  Britain  dates  back  only  to  1850, 
Xow  Hampshire  has  the  honor  of  adopting  the  first  free 
public  library  law,  in  America,  in  the  year  1819.  Massa- 
chusetts followed  in  1851,  and  the  example  was  cniulated 


314  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

by  other  States  at  various  intervals,  until  there  now  re- 
main but  fifteen  out  of  our  forty-five  States  which  have 
no  public  library  law.  The  general  provisions  of  these 
laws  authorize  any  town  or  city  to  collect  taxes  by  vote  of 
the  citizens  for  maintaining  a  public  library,  to  be  man- 
aged by  trustees  elected  or  appointed  for  the  purpose. 

But  a  more  far-reaching  provision  for  supplying  the  peo- 
ple with  public  libraries  was  adopted  by  New  Hampshire 
(again  the  pioneer  State),  in  1895.  This  was  nothing 
less  than  the  passage  of  a  State  law  making  it  compulsory 
on  every  town  in  New  Hampshire  to  assess  annually  the 
sum  of  thirty  dollars  for  every  dollar  of  public  taxes  ap- 
portioned to  such  town,  the  amount  to  be  appropriated  to 
establish  and  maintain  a  free  public  library.  Library 
trustees  are  to  be  elected,  and  in  towns  where  no  public 
library  exists,  the  money  is  to  be  held  by  them,  and  to  ac- 
cumulate until  the  town  is  ready  to  establish  a  library. 

This  New  Hampshire  statute,  making  obligatory  the 
supply  of  public  information  through  books  and  periodi- 
cals in  free  libraries  in  every  town,  may  fairly  be  termed 
the  high-water  mark  of  modern  means  for  the  diffusion  of 
knowledge.  This  system  of  creating  libraries  proceeds 
upon  the  principle  that  intellectual  enlightenment  is  as 
much  a  concern  of  the  local  government  as  sanitary  regula- 
tions or  public  morality.  Society  has  an  interest  that  is 
common  to  all  classes  in  the  means  that  are  provided  for 
the  education  of  the  people.  Among  these  means  free 
town  or  city  libraries  are  one  of  the  most  potent  and  use- 
ful. New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts,  in  nearly  all  of 
their  towns  and  cities,  have  recognized  the  principle  that 
public  books  are  just  as  important  to  the  general  welfare 
as  public  lamps.  What  are  everywhere  needed  are  li- 
braries open  to  the  people  as  a  matter  of  right,  and  not  as 
a  matter  of  favor. 


THE   HISTORY    OF    LIBRARIES.  315 

The  largest  library  in  the  country,  save  one  (that  at 
Washington),  owes  its  origin  and  success  to  this  principle, 
combined  with  some  private  munificence.  The  Boston 
Public  Library  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  most  widely 
useful  collections  of  books  open  to  the  public  in  this  coun- 
try. Of  all  the  greater  collections,  it  is  the  only  one  which 
lends  out  books  free  of  charge  to  all  citizens.  Instituted 
in  1852,  its  career  has  been  one  of  rapid  progress  and  ever 
widening  usefulness.  I  shall  not  dwell  upon  it  at  length, 
as  the  facts  regarding  it  have  been  more  widely  published 
than  those  relating  to  any  other  library. 

Under  the  permissive  library  laws  of  thirty  States,  there 
had  been  formed  up  to  1896,  when  the  last  comprehensive 
statistics  were  gathered,  about  1,200  free  public  libraries, 
supported  by  taxation,  in  the  United  States. 

A  still  more  widely  successful  means  of  securing  a  li- 
brary foundation  that  shall  be  permanent  is  found  in  unit- 
ing private  benefactions  with  public  money  to  found  or  to 
maintain  a  lilirary.  Many  public-spirited  citizens,  fortu- 
nately endowed  with  large  means,  have  offered  to  erect  li- 
brary buildings  in  certain  places,  on  condition  that  the 
local  authorities  would  provide  the  books,  and  the  means 
of  maintaining  a  free  library.  Such  generous  offers, 
whether  coupled  with  the  condition  of  perpetuating  the 
donor's  name  with  that  of  the  library,  or  leaving  the  gift 
nnliamporcd,  so  that  the  li])rary  may  bear  the  name  of  the 
town  or  city  of  its  location,  have  generally  been  accepted 
by  municipal  bodies,  or  In'  popular  vote.  This  secures,  in 
most  cases,  a  good  working  lil^rary  of  choice  reading,  as 
well  as  its  steady  annual  growth  and  management,  free  of 
the  heavy  expense  of  ])uilding,  of  which  the  tax-])ayers  are 
relieved.  The  many  munificent  gifts  of  library  liuilding:^  by 
Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie,  to  American  towns  and  cities,  and 
to  some  in  his  native  Scotland,  are  worthy  of  special  note. 


316  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

And  the  reader  will  see  from  the  long  list  heretofore  given 
of  the  more  considerable  public  libraries  to  be  credited 
wholly  or  in  part  to  private  munificence,  that  American 
men  of  wealth  have  not  been  wanting  as  public  benefactors. 
In  some  cases,  M'hole  libraries  have  been  given  to  a  town 
or  village  where  a  public  library  already  existed,  or  liberal 
gifts  or  bequests  of  money,  to  be  expended  in  the  enrich- 
ment of  such  libraries,  have  been  bestowed.  Very  inter- 
esting lists  of  benefactions  for  the  benefit  of  libraries  may 
be  found  in  the  volumes  of  the  Library  Journal,  New  York. 
It  is  with  regret  that  candor  requires  me  to  add,  that 
several  proffers  of  fine  library  buildings  to  certain  places, 
coupled  with  the  condition  that  the  municipal  authorities 
would  establish  and  maintain  a  free  library,  have  re- 
mained without  acceptance,  thus  forfeiting  a  liberal  en- 
dowment. Where  public  education  has  been  so  neglected 
as  to  render  possible  such  a  niggardly,  penny-wise  and 
pound-foolish  policy,  there  is  manifestly  signal  need  of 
every  means  of  enlightenment. 

We  now  come  to  the  various  State  libraries  founded  at 
the  public  charge,  and  designed  primarily  for  the  use 
of  the  respective  legislatures  of  the  States.  The  earliest 
of  these  is  the  New  Hampshire  State  Library,  established 
in  1790,  and  the  largest  is  the  New  York  State  Library, 
at  Albany,  founded  in  1818,  now  embracing  325,000  vol- 
umes, and  distinguished  alike  by  the  value  of  its  stores  and 
the  liberality  of  its  management.  The  reason  for  being 
of  a  State  library  is  obviously  and  primarily  to  furnish  the 
legislative  body  and  State  courts  with  such  ample  books 
of  reference  in  jurisprudence,  history,  science,  etc.,  as  will 
aid  them  in  the  intelligent  discharge  of  their  duties  as 
law-makers  and  judges  of  the  law.  The  library  thus  ex- 
isting at  each  State  capital  may  well  be  opened  to  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    LIBRARIES.  317 

public  for  reading  and  reference,  thus  greatly  enlarging 
its  usefulness. 

Every  State  in  the  Union  has  now  at  least  a  legislative 
library,  although  the  most  of  them  consist  chiefly  of  laws 
and  legislative  documents,  with  a  few  works  of  reference 
superadded;  and  their  direct  usefulness  to  the  public  is 
therefore  very  circumscribed.  The  New  York  State  Li- 
brary is  a  model  of  what  a  great  public  library  should  be 
in  the  capital  of  a  State.  In  it  are  gathered  a  great  pro- 
portion of  the  best  books  in  each  department  of  literature 
and  science,  while  indefatigable  efl'orts  have  been  made  to 
enrich  it  in  whatever  relates  to  American  history  and  pol- 
ity. Its  reading-room  is  freely  opened  to  the  public  during 
many  hours  daily.  But  a  State  library  should  never  be 
made  a  librar}'  of  circulation,  since  its  utility  as  a  reference 
library,  having  its  books  always  in  for  those  who  seek  them, 
would  thereby  be  destroyed.  Even  under  the  existing  sys- 
tem, with  the  privilege  of  drawing  books  out  confined  to 
the  Legislature,  some  of  the  State  libraries  have  been  de- 
pleted and  despoiled  of  many  of  their  most  valuable  books, 
through  loaning  them  freely  on  the  orders  of  members. 
The  sense  of  responsibility  is  far  less  in  the  case  of  bor- 
rowed books  which  are  government  property,  than  in  other 
cases.  The  only  safe  rule  for  keeping  a  government  li- 
brary from  being  scattered,  is  strict  refusal  of  orders  for 
loaning  to  any  one  not  legally  entitled  to  draw  books,  and 
short  terms  of  withdrawal  to  legislators,  with  enforcement 
of  a  rule  of  replacement,  at  their  expense,  as  to  all  books 
not  returned  at  the  end  of  each  session. 

There  is  one  class  of  libraries  not  yet  touched  upon, 
namely,  school  district  libraries.  These  originated  for  the 
first  time  in  a  legally  organized  system,  Ihrnngb  an  aft  of 
the  New  York  State  Legislature  in  1835,  authorizing  the 


318  A   BOOK   FOR    ALL   READERS. 

voters  in  each  school  district  to  levy  a  tax  of  twenty  dol- 
lars with  which  to  start  a  library,  and  ten  dollars  a  year 
for  adding  to  the  same.  These  were  not  to  be  for  the 
schools  alone,  but  for  all  the  people  living  in  the  district 
where  the  school  was  located.  This  was  supplemented  in 
1838  by  a  State  appropriation  of  $55,000  a  year,  from  New 
York's  share  of  the  surplus  revenue  fund  distributed  by 
Congress  to  the  States  in  1837,  and  the  income  of  which 
was  devoted  by  New  York  to  enlarging  the  school  district 
libraries.  After  spending  nearly  two  millions  of  dollars 
on  these  libraries  in  forty  years,  the  system  was  found  to 
have  been  so  far  a  failure  that  the  volumes  in  the  libraries 
had  decreased  from  1,600,000  to  700,000  volumes. 

This  extraordinary  and  deplorable  result  was  attributed 
to  several  distinct  causes.  1st.  No  proper  responsibility 
as  to  the  use  and  return  of  books  was  enforced.  2d.  The 
insignificance  of  the  sum  raised  by  taxation  in  each  district 
prevented  any  considerable  supply  of  books  from  being 
acquired.  3d.  The  funds  were  largely  devoted  to  buying 
the  same  books  in  each  school  district,  instead  of  being 
expended  in  building  up  a  large  and  varied  collection. 
Thus  the  system  produced  innumerable  petty  libraries  of 
duplicates,  enriching  publishers  and  booksellers,  while  im- 
poverishing the  community.  The  school  district  library 
system,  in  short,  while  promising  much  in  theory,  in  the 
way  of  public  intelligence,  broke  down  completely  in  prac- 
tice. The  people  quickly  lost  interest  in  libraries  which 
gave  them  so  little  variety  in  books,  either  of  instruction 
or  of  recreation. 

Although  widely  introduced  in  other  States  besides  New 
York,  from  1837  to  1877,  it  proved  an  admitted  failure 
in  all.  Much  public  money,  raised  by  taxation  of  the  peo- 
ple, was  squandered  upon  sets  of  books,  selected  by  State 


THE   HISTORY    OF   LIBRABIES.  319 

authority,  and  often  of  inferior  interest  and  utility.  Fin- 
ally, it  was  recognized  that  school  district  libraries  were 
an  evanescent  dream,  and  that  town  libraries  must  take 
their  place.  This  instructive  chapter  in  Library  history 
shows  an  experience  by  which  much  was  learned,  though 
the  lesson  was  a  costly  one. 

The  Historical  libraries  of  the  couiitry  are  numerous, 
and  some  of  the  larger  ones  are  rich  in  printed  Americana, 
and  in  historical  manuscripts.  The  oldest  is  that  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  founded  in  1791,  and 
among  the  most  extensive  are  those  of  the  New  York  His- 
torical Society,  American  Antiquarian  Society,  the  His- 
torical Society  of  Penns)'lvania,  the  Xew  England  His- 
toric-genealogical Society,  and  the  Wisconsin  State  His- 
torical Society,  There  are  no  less  than  230  historical  so- 
cieties in  the  U,  S.,  some  forty  of  which  are  State  associa- 
tions. 

The  Mercantile  libraries  are  properly  a  branch  of  the 
proprietary,  though  depending  mostly  upon  annual  sub- 
scriptions. The  earliest  of  these  was  the  Boston  Mercan- 
tile Library,  founded  in  1820,  and  followed  closely  by  the 
Xew  York  Mercantile  the  same  year,  the  Philadelphia  in 
1821,  and  the  Cincinnati  Mercantile  in  1835. 

Next  we  have  the  professional  li])raries,  law,  medical, 
scientific,  and,  in  several  cities,  theological.  These  supply 
a  want  of  each  of  these  professions  seldom  met  by  the  pub- 
lic collections,  and  are  proportionately  valuable. 

The  most  recent  plan  for  the  wide  diffusion  of  j)opular 
books  is  the  travelling  library.  Tliis  originated  in  X<'W 
York  in  1893,  wben  the  Legislature  empowered  tbc  Re- 
gents of  the  State  University  (a  body  of  trustees  baving 
charge  of  all  library  interests  in  that  State)  to  send  out 
selections  of  books  to  any  coninmiiily  without  a  library,  on 
request  of  25  resident  taxpayers.     The  results  were  most 


320  A   BOOK   FOR   ALL   EEADERS. 

beneficial,  the  sole  expense  being  five  dollars  for  each 
library. 

Travelling  libraries,  (mostly  of  fifty  volumes  each)  have 
been  set  on  foot  in  Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Iowa,  Wiscon- 
sin, Pennsylvania,  and  other  States,  and,  as  the  system 
appears  capable  of  indefinite  expansion,  great  results  are 
anticipated  in  the  direction  of  the  public  intelligence.  It 
is  pointed  out  that  while  the  State,  by  its  free  school  sys- 
tem, trains  all  the  people  to  read,  it  should  not  leave  the 
quality  of  their  reading  to  chance  or  to  utter  neglect,  when 
a  few  cents  per  capita  annually  would  help  them  to  an  edu- 
cation of  inestimable  value  in  after  life. 

Some  objections,  on  the  other  hand,  have  been  urged  to 
the  system,  as  introducing  features  of  paternalism  into 
State  government,  and  taking  out  of  the  hands  of  indi- 
vidual generosity  and  local  effort  and  enterprise  what  be- 
longs properly  to  such  agencies.  The  vexed  question  of 
the  proper  function  and  limitations  of  State  control  in  the 
domain  of  education  cannot  here  be  entered  upon. 

In  the  volume  last  published  of  statistics  of  American 
libraries,  that  of  1897,  great  progress  was  shown  in  the  five 
years  since  1891.  The  record  of  libraries  reported  in 
1896  embraced  4,026  collections,  being  all  which  contained 
over  1,000  volumes  each.  The  increase  in  volumes  in  the 
five  years  was  a  little  over  seven  millions,  the  aggregate 
of  the  4,026  libraries  being  33,051,872  volumes.  This  in- 
crease was  over  27  per  cent,  in  only  five  years. 

If  the  good  work  so  splendidly  begun,  in  New  England, 
New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  some  of  the  Western  States, 
in  establishing  libraries  through  public  taxation  and  pri- 
vate munificence,  can  only  be  extended  in  the  Southern 
and  Middle  States,  the  century  now  about  to  dawn  will 
witness  an  advance  quite  as  remarkable  as  we  have  seen 
in  the  latter  years  of  the  century  about  to  close. 


CHAPTER    16. 
LiBEAEY    Buildings   and    Furnishings. 

Proceeding  now  to  the  subject  of  library  buildings,  read- 
ing-rooms, and  furnishing?,  it  must  be  remarked  at  the 
outset  that  very  few  rules  can  be  laid  down  which  are  of 
universal  application.  The  architectural  ])lans,  exterior 
and  interior,  of  such  great  institutions  as  the  Library  of 
Congress,  or  the  Boston  Public  Lil)rary,  with  their  costly 
marbles,  splendid  mural  decorations,  and  electric  book- 
serving  machinery,  afford  no  model  for  the  library  build- 
ing in  the  country  village.  Where  the  government  of  a 
nation  or  a  wealthy  city  has  millions  to  devote  for  provid- 
ing a  magnificent  book-palace  for  its  library,  the  smaller 
cities  or  towns  have  only  a  few  thousands.  So  much  the 
more  important  is  it,  that  a  thoroughly  well-considered 
plan  for  building  should  be  marked  out  l)eforo  beginning 
to  build,  that  no  dollars  should  be  wasted,  or  costly  altera- 
tions required,  in  order  to  fit  the  interior  for  all  the  iises 
of  a  library. 

The  need  of  this  caution  will  be  abundantly  evident,  in 
the  light  of  the  unfit  and  inconvenient  constructions  seen 
in  so  many  public  libraries,  all  over  the  country.  So  gen- 
eral has  been  the  want  of  carefully  planned  and  well-exe- 
futed  structures  for  books,  that  it  may  fairly  be  said  that 
mistakes  have  been  the  rule,  and  fit  adai)tation  the  excep- 
tion. For  twenty  years  past,  at  every  meeting  of  the 
American  Library  Association,  the  reports  upon  library 
buildings  have  deplored  the  waste  of  money  in  well-meant 
edifices  designed  to  accommodate  the  library  service,  but 
successful   only   in  obstructing  it.     Even   in  so  recent  a 

(821) 


322  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

construction  as  the  Boston  Public  Library  building,  so 
many  defects  and  inconveniences  were  found  after  it  was 
supposed  to  have  been  finished,  that  rooms  had  to  be  torn 
out  and  re-constructed  on  three  floors,  while  the  pneumatic 
tube  system  had  been  found  so  noisy  as  to  be  a  public 
nuisance,  and  had  to  be  replaced  by  ^  later  improved  con- 
struction. 

One  leading  cause  for  the  mistakes  which  are  so  patent 
in  our  library  buildings  is  that  they  are  not  planned  by 
librarians  but  mainly  by  architects.  The  library  authori- 
ties commonly  take  it  for  granted  that  the  able  architect 
is  master  of  his  profession,  and  entrust  him  with  the  whole 
design,  leaving  out  of  account  the  librarian,  as  a  mere  sub- 
ordinate, entitled  only  to  secondary  consideration.  The 
result  is  a  plan  which  exhibits,  in  its  prominent  features, 
the  architect's  skill  in  effective  pilasters,  pillars,  archi- 
traves, cornices,  and  balustrades,  while  the  library  apart- 
ments which  these  features  ornament  are  planned,  not  for 
convenient  and  rapid  book-service,  but  mainly  for  show. 
It  is  the  interest  of  architects  to  magnify  their  profession : 
and  as  none  of  them  has  ever  been,  or  ever  will  be  a  li- 
brarian, they  cannot  be  expected  to  carry  into  effect  un- 
aided, what  they  have  never  learned;  namely,  the  interior 
arrangements  which  will  best  meet  the  utilities  of  the  li- 
brary service.  Here  is  where  the  librarian's  practical  ex- 
perience, or  his  observation  of  the  successes  or  failures  in 
the  reading-room  and  delivery  service  of  other  libraries, 
should  imperatively  be  called  in.  Let  him  demonstrate  to 
the  governing  board  that  he  knows  what  is  needed  for 
prompt  and  economical  administration,  and  they  will  heed 
his  judgment,  if  they  are  reasonable  men.  While  it  be- 
longs to  the  architect  to  plan,  according  to  his  own  ideas, 
the  outside  of  the  building,  the  inside  should  be  planned 
by  the  architect  in  direct  concert  with  the  librarian,  in 
all  save  merely  ornamental  or  finishing  work. 


LIBRARY    BUILDINGS   AND   FURXISHIXGS.  323 

We  do  not  erect  a  building  and  tlien  determine  whether 
it  is  to  be  a  school  house  or  a  church:  it  is  planned  from 
the  start  with  strict  reference  to  the  utilities  involved;  and 
so  should  it  alwa3^s  be  with  a  library. 

In  treating  this  subject,  I  shall  not  occupy  space  in  out- 
lining the  proper  scheme  of  building  and  interior  arrange- 
ment for  a  great  library,  "vvith  its  many  distinct  depart- 
ments, for  such  institutions  are  the  exceptions,  while  most 
libraries  come  within  the  rule  of  very  moderate  size,  and 
comparatively  inexpensive  equipment.  The  first  requisite 
for  a  public  library,  then,  is  a  good  location.  It  is  import- 
ant that  this  should  be  central,  but  it  is  equally  important 
that  the  building  should  be  isolated — that  is,  with  proper 
open  space  on  all  sides,  and  not  located  in  a  block  with 
other  buildings.  !Many  libraries  have  been  destroyed  or 
seriously  damaged  by  fire  originating  in  neighboring  build- 
ings, or  in  other  apartments  in  the  same  building;  while 
fires  in  separate  library  buildings  have  been  extremely 
rare.  It  would  be  a  wise  provision  to  secure  a  library  lot 
sufficiently  large  in  area  to  admit  of  further  additions  to 
the  building,  both  in  the  rear  and  at  the  side;  and  with 
slight  addition  to  the  cost, the  walls  and  their  supports  may 
be  so  planned  as  to  admit  of  this.  Committees  are  seldom 
willing  to  incur  the  expense  of  an  edifice  large  enough  to 
])rovide  for  very  prolonged  growth  of  tlieir  collection ;  and 
the  result  is  that  the  country  is  full  of  overcrowded  li- 
braries, without  money  to  build,  and  prevented  from  ex- 
panding on  the  spot  because  no  foresight  was  exercised  in 
the  original  construction  or  land  purchase,  to  provide  for 
ready  increase  of  space  by  widening  out,  and  removing  an 
outer  wall  so  as  to  connect  the  old  building  with  the  new 
addition.  If  a  library  has  10,000  volumes,  it  would  be 
very  short-sighted  policy  to  plan  an  edifice  to  contain  less 
tlinn  40,000,  which  it  is  likely  to  reach  in  from  ten  to  forty 
years. 


324  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

The  next  requisite  to  a  central  and  sufficient  site  is  that 
the  location  must  be  dry  and  airy.  Any  low  site,  especially 
in  river  towns,  will  be  damp,  and  among  the  enemies  of 
books,  moisture  holds  a  foremost  place.  Xext,  the  site 
should  afford  light  on  all  sides,  and  if  necessary  to  place  it 
near  any  thoroughfare,  it  should  be  set  back  so  as  to  afford 
ample  light  and  ventilation  in  front. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  every  library  building  should 
be  fire-proof,  after  the  many  costly  lessons  we  have  had  of 
the  burning  of  public  libraries  at  home  and  abroad.  The 
material  for  the  outside  walls  may  be  brick  or  stone,  ac- 
cording to  taste  or  relative  cost.  Brick  is  good  enough, 
and  if  of  the  best  quality,  and  treated  with  stone  trim- 
mings, is  capable  of  sufficiently  ornate  effects,  and  is  quite 
as  durable  as  any  granite  or  marble.  No  temptation  of 
cheapness  should  ever  be  allowed  to  introduce  wood  in  any 
part  of  the  construction:  walls,  floors,  and  roof  should  be 
only  of  brick,  stone,  iron,  or  slate.  A  wooden  roof  is  noth- 
ing but  a  tinder-box  that  invites  the  flames. 

In  general,  two  stories  is  a  sufficient  height  for  library 
buildings,  except  in  those  of  the  largest  class,  and  the 
upper  floors  may  be  amply  lighted  by  sky-lights.  The 
side-lights  can  hardly  be  too  numerous :  yet  I  have  seen  li- 
brary buildings  running  back  from  a  street  fiLfty  to  seventy- 
five  feet,  without  a  single  window  in  either  of  the  side 
walls.  The  result  was  to  throw  all  the  books  on  shelves 
into  a  gloomy  shade  for  many  hours  of  each  day. 

The  interior  construction  should  be  so  managed  as  to 
effect  the  finding  and  delivery  of  books  to  readers  with  the 
greatest  possible  economy  of  time  and  space.  No  shelves 
should  be  placed  higher  than  can  be  reached  by  hand  with- 
out mounting  upon  any  steps  or  ladders;  i.  e.,  seven  to 
seven  and  a  half  feet.  The  system  of  shelving  should  all 
be  constructed  of  iron  or  steel,  instead  of  surrounding  the 


LIBRARY   BUILDINGS   AND  FURNISHINGS.  325 

books  on  three  sides  with  combustible  wood,  as  is  done  in 
most  libraries.  Shelves  of  oxidized  metal  will  be  found 
smooth  enough  to  prevent  any  abrasion  of  bindings. 
Shelves  should  be  easily  adjustable  to  any  height,  to  ac- 
commodate the  various  sizes  of  books. 

In  calculating  shelf  capacity,  one  and  a  half  inches  thick- 
ness a  volume  is  a  fair  average,  so  that  each  hundred  vol- 
umes would  require  about  thirteen  feet  of  linear  shelf 
measurement.  The  space  between  uprights,  that  is,  the 
length  of  each  shelf,  should  not  exceed  two  and  a  half  feet. 
All  spaces  between  shelves  should  be  10^  or  11  inches  high, 
to  accommodate  large  octavos  indiscriminately  with  smaller 
sizes;  and  a  base  shelf  for  quartos  and  folios,  at  a  proper 
lieight  from  the  floor,  will  restrict  the  number  of  shelves 
to  six  in  each  tier. 

In  the  arrangement  of  the  cases  or  book-stacks,  the  most 
economical  method  is  to  place  book-cases  of  double  face, 
not  less  than  three  feet  apart,  approached  by  aisles  on 
either  side,  so  as  to  afford  free  passage  for  two  persons 
meeting  or  passing  one  another.  The  cases  may  be  about 
ten  feet  each  in  length.  There  should  be  electric  lights 
between  all  cases,  to  be  turned  on  only  when  books  are 
sought.  The  cases  should  be  set  at  right  angles  to  the 
wall,  two  or  three  feet  from  it,  with  the  light  from  abund- 
ant windows  coming  in  between  them.  The  width  of 
shelves  may  be  from  16  to  18  inches  in  these  double  cases, 
thus  giving  about  eight  to  nine  inches  depth  to  each  side. 
Xo  partition  is  required  between  the  two  sides. 

It  should  be  stated  that  the  light  obtained  from  win- 
dows, when  thrown  more  than  twenty  feet,  among  cases  of 
liooks  on  shelves,  becomes  too  feeble  for  effective  use  in 
finding  books.  This  fa(.t  should  be  considered  in  advance, 
while  plans  of  construction,  ligliting,  and  interior  arrange- 
ment arc  being  made.  All  experience  has  shown  tliat  too 
niuch  light  cannot  be  had  in  any  public  library. 


326  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

liailings  and  stair-cases  for  the  second  or  upper  floors 
should  be  of  perforated  iron. 

The  reading-room  should  be  distinct  from  the  book  de- 
livery or  charging-room,  to  secure  quiet  for  readers  at  all 
hours,  avoiding  the  pressure,  hurry  and  noise  of  conver- 
sation inevitable  in  a  lending  library  or  department.  In 
the  reading-room  sliould  be  shelved  a  liberal  supply  of 
books  of  reference,  and  bibliograpliies,  open  without  tick- 
ets to  the  readers.  Next  the  central  desk  there  should  be 
shelves  for  the  deposit  of  books  reserved  day  by  day  for  the 
use  of  readers.  The  library  chairs,  of  whatever  pattern 
may  be  preferred,  should  always  combine  the  two  requisites 
of  strength  and  lightness.  The  floor  should  be  covered 
with  linoleum,  or  some  similar  floor  covering,  to  deaden 
sound.  Woolen  carpets,  those  perennial  breeders  of  dust, 
are  an  abomination. 

In  a  library  reading-room  of  any  considerable  size,  each 
reader  should  be  provided  with  table  or  desk  room,  not  flat 
but  sloping  at  a  moderate  angle,  and  allowing  about  three 
feet  of  space  for  each  reader.  These  appliances  for  study 
need  not  be  single  pieces  of  furniture,  but  made  in.  sections 
to  accommodate  from  three  to  six  readers  at  each.  About 
thirty  inches  from  the  floor  is  a  proper  height. 

For  large  dictionaries,  atlases,  or  other  bulky  volumes, 
the  adjustable  revolving  case,  mounted  on  a  pedestal, 
should  be  used. 

For  moving  any  large  number  of  volumes  about  the  li- 
brary, book-trucks  or  barrows,  with  noiseless  rubber 
wheels,  are  required. 

Every  library  will  need  one  or  more  catalogue  cases  to 
hold  the  alphabetical  card  catalogue.  These  are  made 
with  a  maximum  of  skill  by  the  Library  Bureau,  Boston. 

The  location  of  the  issue-counter  or  desk  is  of  cardinal 
importance.     It  should  be  located  near  the  centre  of  the 


LIBRAKY   BUILDINGS   AXD  FURXISHIN'GS.  327 

system  of  book-cases,  or  near  the  entrance  to  the  stack,  so 
as  to  minimize  the  time  consumed  in  collecting  the  books 
Avanted.  It  should  also  have  a  full  supply  of  light,  and 
this  may  be  secured  by  a  location  directly  in  front  of  a 
large  side  window.  Readers  are  impatient  of  delay,  and 
the  farther  the  books  are  from  the  issue-counter  the  longer 
they  will  have  to  wait  for  them. 

Among  modern  designs  for  libraries,  that  of  Dr.  W.  F. 
Poole,  adapted  for  the  Xewberry  Library,  Chicago,  is  nota- 
ble  for  dividing  the  library  into  many  departments  or  sep- 
arate rooms,  the  book  shelves  occupying  one  half  the 
height  of  each,  or  7^  feet  out  of  15,  the  remaining  space 
being  occupied  by  windows.  This  construction,  of  course, 
does  not  furnish  as  compact  storage  for  books  as  the  stack 
system.  It  is  claimed  to  possess  the  advantage  of  extra- 
ordinarily good  light,  and  of  aiding  the  researches  of  read- 
ers. But  it  has  the  disadvantage  of  requiring  readers  to 
visit  widely  separated  rooms  to  pursue  studies  involving 
several  subjects,  and  of  mounting  in  elevators  to  reach 
some  departments.  A  system  which  brings  the  books  to 
the  reader,  instead  of  the  readers  travelling  after  the 
books,  would  appear  to  be  more  practically  useful  to  tlic 
]uiblic,  with  whom  time  is  of  cardinal  importance. 

In  all  libraries,  there  should  be  a  receiving  or  packing 
room,  where  boxes  and  parcels  of  books  are  opened  and 
l)ooks  mended,  collated,  and  prepared  for  the  shelves. 
This  room  may  well  be  in  a  dry  and  well  lighted  basement. 
Two  small  cloak-rooms  for  wraps  will  be  needed,  one  for 
each  sex.  Two  toilet  rooms  or  lavatories  should  be  pro- 
vided. A  room  for  the  library  directors  or  trustees,  and 
one  for  the  librarian,  are  essential  in  lil)rarios  of  much  ex- 
tent. A  janitor's  room  or  sleeping  quarters  sometimes 
needs  to  be  provided.  A  storage  room  for  blanks,  station- 
ery, catalogues,  etc.,  will  be  necessary  in  libraries  of  much 


^^-8  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

extent.  A  periodical  room  is  sometimes  provided,  distinct 
from  the  reading-room  or  the  delivery  department.  In 
this  case,  if  several  hundred  periodicals  are  taken,  an  at- 
tendant should  be  always  present  to  serve  them  to  readers, 
from  the  shelves  or  cases  where  they  should  be  kept  in 
alphabetical  order.  Without  this,  and  a  ticket  system  to 
keep  track  of  what  are  in  use,  no  one  can  readily  find  what 
is  needed,  nor  ascertain  whether  it  is  in  a  reader's  hands 
when  sought  for.  System  and  the  alphabet  alone  will 
solve  all  difficulties. 

As  to  the  space  required  for  readers  in  a  periodical 
room,  it  may  be  assumed  that  about  five  hundred  square 
feet  will  accommodate  twenty-five  readers,  and  the  same 
proportion  for  a  larger  number  at  one  time.  A  room 
twenty-five  by  forty  would  seat  fifty  readers,  while  one 
twenty-five  by  twenty  would  accommodate  twenty-five 
readers,  with  proper  space  for  tables,  &c.  The  files  for 
newspapers  are  referred  to  in  another  chapter  on  periodi- 
cals. 

In  a  library  building,  the  heating  and  ventilation  are  of 
prime  importance.  Upon  their  proper  regulation  largely 
depends  the  health  and  consequently  the  efficiency  of  all 
employed,  as  well  as  the  comfort  of  the  reading  public. 
There  is  no  space  to  enter  upon  specific  descriptions,  for 
which  the  many  conflicting  systems,  with  experience  of 
their  practical  working,  should  be  examined.  Suffice  it  to 
say  in  general,  that  a  temperature  not  far  below  nor  above 
70  degrees  Fahrenheit  should  be  aimed  at;  that  the  fur- 
nace, with  its  attendant  nuisances  of  noise,  dust,  and  odors, 
should  be  outside  the  library  building — not  under  it;  and 
that  electric  lighting  alone  should  be  used,  gas  being 
highly  injurious  to  the  welfare  of  books. 

Id  calculating  the  space  required  for  books  shelved  as 
has  been  heretofore  suggested,  it  may  be  approximately 


LIBRARY   BUILDINGS   AND  FURNISHINGS.  329 

stated  that  every  one  thousand  volumes  will  require  at  least 
eighty  to  one  hundred  square  feet  of  floor  measurement. 
Thus,  a  library  of  10,000  volumes  would  occupy  an  area  of 
nearly  one  thousand  square  feet.  But  it  is  necessary  to 
provide  also  for  the  continual  growth  of  the  collection. 
To  do  this,  experience  shows  that  in  any  flourishing  public 
library,  space  should  be  reserved  for  three  or  four  times 
the  number  of  volumes  in  actual  possession.  If  rooms  are 
hired  for  the  books,  because  of  inability  to  build,  the  li- 
brary should  be  so  arranged  as  to  leave  each  alternate 
shelf  vacant  for  additions,  or,  in  the  more  rapidly  growing 
divisions,  a  still  greater  space.  This  will  permit  accessions 
to  be  shelved  with  their  related  books,  without  the  trouble 
of  frequently  moving  and  re-arranging  large  divisions  of 
the  library.  This  latter  is  a  very  laborious  process,  and 
should  be  resorted  to  only  under  compulsion.  The  pre- 
ventive remedy,  of  making  sure  of  space  in  advance,  by 
leaving  a  sufficiency  of  unoccupied  shelves  in  every  division 
of  the  library,  is  the  true  one. 

In  some  libraries,  a  separate  reading-room  for  ladies  is 
provided.  Mr.  W.  F.  Poole  records  that  in  Cincinnati 
such  a  room  was  opened  at  the  instance  of  the  library  di- 
rectors. •  The  result  was  that  the  ladies  made  it  a  kind  of 
social  rendezvous,  where  they  talked  over  society  matters, 
and  exhibited  the  bargains  made  in  their  shopping  excur- 
sions. Ladies  who  came  to  study  preferred  the  general 
rearling  room,  where  they  found  every  comfort  among  well 
conducted  gentlemen,  and  the  "ladies'  reading-room"  was 
abandoned,  as  not  fulfilling  its  object.  The  same  experi- 
ment in  the  Chicago  Public  Library  liad  the  same  result. 

Some  libraries  in  the  larger  towns  provide  a  special  read- 
ing-room for  children;  and  this  accomplishes  a  two-fold 
object,  namely,  to  keep  the  pu])lic  ronding-rnom  frco  from 
flocks  of  little  people  in  pursuit  of  books  under  diirieulties, 


330  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

and  to  furnish  the  boys  and  girls  with  accommodations  of 
their  own.  It  may  be  suggested  as  an  objection,  that  the 
dividing  line  as  to  age  is  difficult  to  be  drawn :  but  let  each 
applicant  be  questioned,  and  if  falling  below  twelve,  or 
fifteen,  or  whatever  the  age  limit  may  be,  directed  to  the 
juvenile  reading-room,  and  there  need  be  no  trouble.  Of 
course  there  will  be  some  quite  young  readers  who  are 
gifted  with  intelligence  beyond  their  years,  and  who  may 
dislike  to  be  reckoned  as  children;  but  library  rules  are 
not  made  to  suit  exceptions,  but  for  the  average ;  and  as  no 
book  need  be  refused  to  any  applicant  in  the  juvenile  de- 
partment, no  just  cause  of  complaint  can  arise. 

In  some  libraries,  and  those  usually  of  the  larger  size,  an 
art  room  is  provided,  where  students  of  works  on  painting, 
sculpture,  and  the  decorative  arts  can  go,  and  have  about 
them  whatever  treasures  the  librar}^  may  contain  in  that 
attractive  field.  The  advantages  of  this  provision  are, 
first,  to  save  the  necessity  of  handling  and  carrying  so 
many  heavy  volumes  of  galleries  of  art  and  illustrated 
books  to  the  general  reading-room,  and  back  again,  and 
secondly,  to  enable  those  in  charge  of  the  art  department 
to  exercise  more  strict  supervision  in  enforcing  careful  and 
cleanly  treatment  of  the  finest  books  in  the  library,  than 
can  be  maintained  in  the  miscellaneous  crowd  of  readers 
in  the  main  reading-room.  The  objections  to  it  concern 
the  general  want  of  room  to  set  apart  for  this  purpose,  and 
the  desirability  of  concentrating  the  use  of  books  in  one 
main  hall  or  reading-room.  Circumstances  and  experience 
should  determine  the  question  for  each  library. 

Some  public  libraries,  and  especially  those  constructed 
in  recent  years,  are  provided  with  a  lecture-hall,  or  a  large 
room  for  public  meetings,  concerts,  or  occasionally,  even 
an  opera-house,  in  the  same  building  with  the  library. 
There  are  some  excellent  arguments  in  favor  of  this:  and 


LIBRARY   BUILDINGS   AND  FURXISHIXGS.  331 

especially  where  a  public  benefactor  donates  to  a  city  a 
building  which  combines  both  uses.  The  building  given 
by  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie  to  the  Public  Library  of  Wash- 
ington will  be  provided  with  a  small  hall  suited  to  meet- 
ings, &c.  But  in  all  eases,  such  a  public  hall  should  be 
so  isolated  from  the  library  reading-room  as  not  to  annoy 
readers,  to  whom  quiet  is  essential.  This  end  can  be  ef- 
fected by  having  the  intervening  walls  and  floors  so  con- 
structed as  completely  to  deaden  sound.  A  wholly  dis- 
tinct entrance  should  also  be  provided,  not  communicating 
with  the  doors  and  passages  leading  to  the  library. 

Comparisons  are  sometimes  made  as  to  the  relative  cost 
of  library  buildings  to  the  number  of  volumes  they  are  de- 
signed to  accommodate;  but  such  estimates  are  misleading. 
The  cost  of  an  edifice  in  which  architectural  beauty  and 
interior  decoration  concur  to  make  it  a  permanent  orna- 
ment to  a  city  or  town,  need  not  be  charged  up  at  so  much 
per  volume.  Buildings  for  libraries  have  cost  all  the  way 
from  twenty-five  cents  up  to  $-1.  for  each  volume  stored. 
The  Library  of  Congress,  which  cost  six  million  dollars,  and 
will  ultimately  accommodate  4,500,000  volumes,  cost  about 
$L3G  per  volume.  But  it  contains  besides  books,  some 
lialf  a  million  musical  compositions,  works  of  graphic  art, 
maps  and  charts,  etc. 

The  comparative  cost  of  some  library  buildings  creeled 
in  recent  years,  with  ultimate  capacity  of  each,  may  be  of 
interest.  Kansas  City  Public  Library,  132-f-144,  125,000 
vols.,  $200,000.  Newark,  N.  J.  Free  Library,  138+210, 
400,000  vols.,  $188,000.  Forbes  Library,  Northampton, 
Mass.  (granite),  107+137,  250,000  vols.,  $134,000.  Fall 
Kiver,  Ms.  Library,  80+130,  250,000  vols.,  $10().0()(). 
Peoria,  111.  Public  Library  (brick),  76+135,  $70,000.  Smi- 
ley Memorial  Library,  I^'dlaiids,  Cal.  (l)rick),  !)(i  +  100. 
$50,000.     Reuben  Hoar  Library,  Littleton,  Mass.  (brick), 


332  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

50+57,  25,000  vols.,  $25,000.  Rogers  Memorial  Library, 
Southworth,  N.  Y.  70+100,  20,000  vols.,  $20,000.  Bel- 
fast (Me.)  Free  Library  (granite),  27+54,  $10,000.  Gail- 
Borden  Public  Library,  Elgin,  111.  (brick),  28+52,  $9,000. 
Warwick,  Mass.  Public  Library  (wood),  45+60,  5,000  vols., 
$5,000. 

The  largely  increased  number  of  public  library  buildings 
erected  in  recent  years  is  a  most  cheering  sign  of  the 
times.  Since  1895,  eleven  extensive  new  library  buildings 
have  been  opened:  namely,  the  Library  of  Congress,  the 
Boston  Public  Library,  the  Pratt  Institute  Library,  Brook- 
lyn, the  Columbia  University  Library,  New  York,  the 
Princeton,  N.  J.  University  Library,  the  Hart  Memorial 
Library,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.  the  Carnegie  Library,  Pittsburgh, 
the  Chicago  Public  Library,  the  Peoria,  111.  Public  Li- 
brary, the  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Public  Library,  and  the 
Omaha,  Xeb.  Public  Library. 

And  there  are  provided  for  eight  more  public  library 
buildings,  costing  more  than  $100,000  each;  namely,  the 
Providence,  R.  I.  Public  Library,  the  Lynn,  Mass.  Public 
Library,  the  Fall  Elver,  Mass.  Public  Library,  the  ISTewark, 
N.  J,  Free  Public  Library,  the  Milwaukee,  Wis.  Public  Li- 
brary and  Museum,  the  Wisconsin  State  Historical  Society 
Library,  Madison,  the  New  York  Public  Library,  and  the 
Jersey  City  Public  Library. 

To  these  will  be  added  within  the  year  1901,  as  is  con- 
fidently expected,  the  Washington  City  Public  Library,  the 
gift  of  Andrew  Carnegie,  to  cost  $350,000. 

No  philanthropist  can  ever  find  a  nobler  object  for  his 
fortune,  or  a  more  enduring  monument  to  his  memory, 
than  the  founding  of  a  free  public  library.  The  year  1899 
has  witnessed  a  new  gift  by  Mr.  Carnegie  of  a  one  hundred 
thousand  dollar  library  to  Atlanta,  the  Capital  of  Georgia, 
on  condition  that  the  city  will  provide  a  site,  and  $5,000 


LIBRARY    MANAGERS    OR    TRUSTKES.  333 

a  year  for  the  maintenance  of  the  library.  Cities  in  the 
east  are  emulating  one  another  in  providing  public  library 
'^uildings  of  greater  or  less  cost.  If  the  town  library  can- 
faot  have  magnificence,  it  need  not  have  meanness.  A  com- 
petition among  architects  selected  to  submit  plans  is  be- 
coming the  favorite  method  of  preparing  to  build.  Five 
of  the  more  extensive  libraries  have  secured  competitive 
plans  of  late  from  which  to  select — namely,  the  New  York- 
Public  Librar}^  the  Jersey  City  Public  Library,  the  New^ 
ark  Free  Public  Library,  the  Lynn  Public  Library,  and  the 
Phoebe  Hearst  building  for  the  Lfniversity  of  California, 
which  is  to  be  planned  for  a  library  of  750,000  volumes. 
It  is  gratifying  to  add  that  in  several  recent  provisions 
made  for  erecting  large  and  important  structures,  the  li- 
brarian was  made  a  member  of  the  building  committee — 
i.  e.,  in  the  Xew  York  Public  Library,  the  Newark  Free 
Public  Library,  and  the  Lynn  Public  Library. 


CHAPTER  17. 

Library    Managers    oh    Trustees. 

We  now  come  to  consider  the  management  of  libraries 
as  entrusted  to  boards  of  directors,  trustees  or  library  man- 
agers. These  relations  have  a  most  intimate  bearing  upon 
the  foundation,  the  progress  and  the  consequent  success  of 
any-  library.  Where  a  liberal  intelligence  and  a  hearty 
cooperation  are  found  in  those  constituting  the  library 
board,  the  affairs  of  the  institution  will  ])e  managed  with 


334  A    BOOK    FOK   ALL    READEES. 

the  best  results.  Where  a  narrow-minded  and  dictatorial 
spirit  is  manifested,  even  by  a  portion  of  those  supervising 
a  public  library,  it  will  require  a  large  endowment  both  of 
patience  and  of  tact  in  the  librarian,  to  accomplish  those 
aims  which  involve  the  highest  usefulness. 

Boards  of  library  trustees  vary  in  number,  usually  from 
three  to  nine  or  more.  A  board  of  three  or  five  is  found  in 
practice  more  active  and  efficient  than  a  larger  number. 
The  zeal  and  responsibility  felt  is  apt  to  diminish  in  direct 
proportion  to  the  increased  numbers  of  the  board.  An 
odd  number  is  preferable,  to  avoid  an  equal  division  of 
opinion  upon  any  question  to  be  determined. 

In  town  or  city  libraries,  the  mode  of  selection  of  library 
trustees  varies  much.  Sometimes  the  mayor  appoints  the 
library  board,  sometimes  they  are  chosen  by  the  city  coun- 
cil, and  sometimes  elected  by  the  people,  at  the  annual 
selection  of  school  or  municipal  officers.  The  term  of  ser- 
vice (most  usually  three  years)  should  be  so  arranged  that 
retirement  of  any  members  should  always  leave  two  at 
least  who  have  had  experience  on  the  board.  Library 
trustees  serve  without  salary,  the  high  honor  of  so  serving 
the  public  counting  for  much. 

The  librarian  is  often  made  secretary  of  the  trustees,  and 
then  he  keeps  the  record  of  their  transactions.  He  should 
never  be  made  treasurer  of  the  library  funds,  which  would 
involve  labor  and  responsibility  incompatible  with  the 
manifold  duties  of  the  superintendent  of  a  library.  In  case 
of  a  library  supported  by  municipal  taxation,  the  town 
treasurer  may  well  serve  as  library  treasurer  also,  or  the 
trustees  can  choose  one  from  their  own  board.  The  libra- 
rian, however,  should  be  empowered  to  collect  book  fines 
or  other  dues,  to  be  deposited  with  the  treasurer  at  regular 
intervals,  and  he  should  have  a  small  fund  at  disposal  for 
such  petty  library  expenses  as  constantly  arise.     All  bills 


LIBRARY    MANAGERS    OR    TRUSTEES.  335 

for  books  and  other  purchases,  and  all  salaries  of  persons 
employed  in  the  library  should  be  paid  by  the  treasurer. 

The  meetings  of  the  trustees  should  be  attended  by  the 
librarian,  who  must  always  be  ready  to  supply  all  informa- 
tion as  to  the  workings  of  the  library,  the  needs  for  books, 
etc.  Frequently  the  trustees  divide  up  the  business  be- 
fore them,  appointing  sub-committees  on  book  selections, 
on  library  finances,  on  administration,  furnishings,  &c., 
with  a  view  to  prompt  action. 

If  a  library  receives  endowments,  money  gifts  or  lega- 
cies, they  are  held  and  administered  by  the  trustees  as  a 
body  corporate,  the  same  as  the  funds  annually  appropri- 
ated for  library  maintenance  and  increase.  Their  annual 
report  to  the  council,  or  municipal  authorities,  should  ex- 
hibit the  amount  of  money  received  from  all  sources  in  de- 
tail, and  the  amount  expended  for  all  purposes,  in  detail; 
also,  the  number  of  books  purchased  in  the  year,  the  ag- 
gregate of  volumes  in  the  library,  the  number  of  readers, 
and  other  facts  of  general  interest. 

All  accounts  against  the  library  are  first  audited  by  tlie 
proper  sub-committee,  and  payment  ordered  by  the  full 
hoard,  by  order  on  the  treasurer.  The  accounts  for  all 
these  expenditures  should  be  kept  by  the  treasurer,  who 
should  inform  the  librarian  periodically  as  to  balances. 

The  selection  of  books  for  a  public  li])rary  is  a  delicate 
and  responsible  duty,  involving  wider  literary  and  scien- 
tific knowledge  than  falls  to  the  lot  of  most  trustees  of 
libraries.  There  are  sometimes  specially  qualified  profes- 
sional men  or  widely  read  scholars  on  such  boards,  whose 
services  in  recruiting  the  library  are  of  great  value.  ATnro 
frequently  there  are  one  or  more  men  with  h()l)l)i('S,  who 
would  spend  the  lil)rary  funds  much  too  freely  upon  a 
class  of  books  of  no  general  interest.  Thus,  one  trustee 
who  plays  golf  may  urge  the  purchase  of  all  the  various 


336  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

books  upon  that  game,  when  one  or  at  most  two  of  the  best 
should  supply  all  needful  demands.  Another  may  want 
to  add  to  the  library  about  all  the  published  books  on  the 
horse;  another,  who  is  a  physician,  may  recommend  add- 
ing a  lot  of  medical  books  to  the  collection,  utterly  useless 
to  the  general  reader.  Beware  of  the  man  who  has  a 
hobby,  either  as  librarian  or  as  library  trustee;  he  will  aim 
to  expend  too  much  money  on  books  which  suit  his  own 
taste,  but  which  have  little  general  utility.  Two  mis- 
chiefs result  from  such  a  course:  the  library  gets  books 
which  very  few  people  read,  and  its  funds  are  diverted 
from  buying  many  books  that  may  be  of  prime  importance. 
Trustees,  although  usually,  (at  least  the  majority  of 
them)  persons  of  culture  and  intelligence,  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  be  bibliographers,  nor  to  be  familiar  with  the 
great  range  of  new  books  that  continually  pour  from  the 
press.  They  have  their  own  business  or  profession  to  en- 
gage them,  and  are  commonly  far  too  busy  to  study  cata- 
logues, or  to  follow  the  journals  of  the  publishing  world. 
So  these  busy  men,  charged  with  the  oversight  of  the  li- 
brary interests,  call  to  their  aid  an  expert,  and  that  ex- 
pert is  the  librarian.  It  is  his  interest  and  his  business 
to  know  far  more  than  they  do  both  of  what  the  library 
already  contains,  and  what  it  most  needs.  It  is  his  to 
peruse  the  critical  journals  and  reviews,  as  well  as  the  lit- 
erary notices  of  the  select  daily  press,  and  to  be  prepared 
to  recommend  what  works  to  purchase.  He  must  always 
accompany  his  lists  of  wants  with  the  prices,  or  at  least  the 
approximate  cost  of  each,  and  the  aggregate  amount.  If 
the  trustees  or  book  committee  think  the  sum  too  large  to 
be  voted  at  any  one  time  from  the  fund  at  their  disposal, 
the  librarian  must  know  what  can  best  be  postponed,  as 
well  as  what  is  most  indispensable  for  the  immediate  wants 
of  the  library.    If  they  object  to  any  works  on  the  list,  he 


LIBKAEY    MANAGERS    OR    TRUSTEES,  337 

should  be  prepared  to  explain  the  quality  and  character  of 
those  called  in  question,  and  why  the  library,  in  his  judg- 
ment, should  possess  them.  If  the  list  is  largely  cut  down, 
and  he  considers  himself  hardly  used,  he  should  meet  the 
disappointment  with  entire  good  humor,  and  try  again 
when  the  members  of  the  committee  are  in  better  mood,  or 
funds  in  better  supply. 

It  is  very  customary  for  boards  of  library  officers  to  as- 
sume the  charge  of  the  administration  so  far  as  regards 
the  library  staff,  and  to  make  appointments,  promotions 
or  removals  at  their  own  pleasure.  In  most  libraries,  how- 
ever, this  power  is  exercised  mainly  on  the  advice  or  selec- 
tion of  the  librarian,  his  action  being  confirmed  when 
there  is  no  serious  objection.  In  still  other  cases,  the  li- 
brarian is  left  wholly  free  to  choose  the  assistants.  This 
is  perhaps  the  course  most  likely  to  secure  efficient  service, 
since  his  judgment,  if  he  is  a  person  of  tried  capacity  and 
mature  experience,  will  lead  to  the  selection  of  the  fittest 
candidates,  for  the  work  which  he  alone  thoroughly  knows, 
No  library  trustee  can  put  himself  fully  in  the  place  of  a 
librarian,  and  see  for  himself  the  multitude  of  occasions 
arising  in  the  daily  work  of  the  library,  where  promptness, 
tact,  and  wide  knowledge  of  books  will  make  a  success,  and 
the  want  of  any  of  these  qualities  a  failure.  Still  less  can 
he  judge  the  competency  or  incompetency  of  one  who  is 
to  be  employed  in  the  difficult  and  exact  work  of  catalogu- 
ing books.  Besides,  there  is  always  the  hazard  that  trus- 
tees, or  some  of  them,  may  have  personal  favorites  or  rela- 
tives to  prefer,  and  will  use  their  iunuence  to  secure  the 
appointment  or  promotion  of  utterly  uninstructed  persons, 
in  place  of  such  candidates  as  are  known  to  the  librarian 
to  be  best  qualified.  In  no  case  should  any  ])erson  bo  cm- 
ployed  without  full  examination  as  to  fitness  for  library 
work,  confluctofl  fithcr  ])y  tbo  librarian,  or  l)y  a  conimidoe 


338  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

of  wliicli  the  librarian  is  a  member  or  chief  examiner.  A 
probationary  trial  should  also  follow  before  final  appoint- 
ment. 

The  power  of  patronage,  if  unchecked  by  this  safeguard, 
will  result  in  filling  any  library  with  incompetents,  to  the 
serious  detriment  of  the  service  on  which  its  usefulness  de- 
pends. The  librarian  cannot  keep  a  training  school  for 
inexperts:  he  has  no  time  for  this,  and  he  indispensably 
needs  and  should  have  assistants  who  are  competent  to 
their  duties,  from  their  first  entrance  upon  them.  As  he 
is  held  responsible  for  all  results,  in  the  conduct  of  the 
library,  both  by  the  trustees  and  by  the  public,  he  should 
have  the  power,  or  at  least  the  approximate  power,  to  se- 
lect the  means  by  which  those  results  are  to  be  attained. 

In  the  Boston  Public  Library,  all  appointments  are 
made  by  the  trustees  upon  nomination  by  the  librarian, 
after  an  examination  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  civil 
service,  but  by  a  board  of  library  experts.  In  the  British 
Museum  Library,  the  selection  and  promotion  of  members 
of  the  staff  are  passed  upon  by  the  trustees,  having  the 
recommendation  of  the  principal  librarian  before  them. 
In  the  Library  of  Congress,  appointments  are  made  direct- 
ly by  the  librarian  after  a  probationary  trial,  with  previous 
examination  as  to  education,  former  experience  or  employ- 
ments, attainments,  and  fitness  for  library  service. 

In  smaller  libraries,  both  in  this  country  and  abroad,  a 
great  diversity  of  usage  prevails.  Instances  are  rare  in 
which  the  librarian  has  the  uncontrolled  power  of  appoint- 
ment, promotion  and  removal.  The  requirement  of  ex- 
aminations to  test  the  fitness  of  candidates  is  extending, 
and  since  the  establishment  of  five  or  six  permanent 
schools  of  library  science  in  the  United  States,  with  their 
graduates  well  equipped  for  library  work,  there  is  no 


LIBEARY    MAXAGEES    OR    TRUSTEES.  339 

longer  any  excuse  for  putting  novices  in  charge  of  libraries 
—institutions  where  wide  knowledge  and  thorough  train- 
ing are  more  indispensable  than  in  any  other  profession 
whatever. 

In  State  libraries,  no  uniformity  prevails  as  to  control. 
In  some  States,  the  governor  has  the  appointment  of  the 
librarian,  while  in  others,  he  is  an  elective  officer,  the  State 
Legislature  being  the  electors.  As  governors  rarely  con- 
tinue in  office  longer  than  two  or  three  years,  the  tenure 
of  a  librarian  under  them  is  precarious,  and  a  most  valuable 
officer  may  at  any  time  be  superseded  by  another  who 
would  have  to  learn  all  that  the  other  knows.  The  result 
is  rarely  favorable  to  the  efficient  administration  of  the 
library.  In  a  business  absolutely  demanding  the  very 
largest  compass  of  literary  and  scientific  knowledge,  fre- 
quent rotation  in  office  is  clearly  out  of  place.  In  a  public 
or  State  librar}^  every  added  year  of  experience  adds  in- 
calculably to  the  value  of  a  librarian's  services,  provided 
he  is  of  active  habits,  and  full  of  zeal  to  make  his  acquired 
knowledge  constantly  useful  to  those  who  use  the  library. 
Partizan  politics,  with  their  frequent  changes,  if  suffered 
to  displace  a  tried  librarian  and  staff,  will  be  sure  to  defeat 
the  highest  usefulness  of  any  library.  What  can  a  politi- 
cal appointee,  a  man  totally  without  either  library  training 
or  library  experience,  do  with  the  tools  of  which  he  has 
never  learned  the  use?  It  will  take  him  years  to  learn, 
and  by  the  time  he  has  learned,  some  other  political  party 
coming  uppermost  will  probably  displace  him,  to  make 
room  for  another  novice,  on  the  principle  that  "to  llie 
victors  belong  the  spoils"  of  office.  Meanwhile,  "the  hun- 
gry sheep  look  up  and  are  not  fed,"  as  Milton  sings — tliat 
is,  readers  are  deprived  of  expert  and  intelligent  guidanre. 

This  bane  of  political  jobbery  lias  not  been  confinod  io 
the  libraries  of  States,  but  has  invaded  llic  nianaifmicnt 


340  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

of  many  city  and  town  libraries  also.  "We  have  yet  to 
learn  of  any  benefit  resulting  to  those  who  use  the  libra- 
ries. 

In  the  case  of  a  few  of  the  State  libraries,  trustees  or 
library  commissioners  or  boards  of  control  have  been  pro- 
vided by  law,  but  in  others,  a  Joint  library  committee,  com- 
posed of  members  of  both  houses  of  the  Legislature,  has 
charge  of  the  library  interests.  This  is  also  the  case  in 
the  Library  of  Congress  at  Washington,  where  three  Sena- 
tors and  three  Representatives  constitute  the  Joint  Com- 
mittee of  both  Houses  of  Congress  on  the  Library.  The 
membership  of  this  committee,  as  of  all  others  in  Congress, 
is  subject  to  change  biennially.  It  has  been  proposed  to 
secure  a  more  permanent  and  careful  supervision  of  this 
National  Library  by  adding  to  the  Joint  Committee  of 
Congress  three  or  more  trustees  of  eminent  qualifications, 
elected  by  Congress,  as  the  Regents  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  now  are,  for  a  longer  term  of  years.  The  trus- 
tees of  the  British  Museum  are  appointed  by  the  Crown, 
their  tenure  of  office  being  for  life. 

In  several  States  the  librarian  is  appointed  by  the  su- 
preme court,  as  the  State  libraries  are  composed  more 
largely  of  law  books,  than  of  miscellaneous  literature,  and 
special  knowledge  of  case  law,  and  the  principles  of  juris- 
prudence, is  demanded  of  the  librarian. 

Where  the  trustees  of  a  public  library  are  elected  by  the 
people,  they  have  in  their  own  hands  the  power  of  choos- 
ing men  who  are  far  above  party  considerations,  and  they 
should  exercise  it.  In  no  department  of  life  is  the  maxim 
— "the  tools  to  the  hands  that  can  use  them,"  more  im- 
portant than  in  the  case  of  librarians  and  boards  of  man- 
agers of  libraries.  The  value  of  skilled  labor  over  the  un- 
skilled is  everywhere  recognized  in  the  business  of  the 
world,  by  more  certain  employment  and  larger  compensa- 
tion: and  why  should  it  not  be  so  in  libraries? 


CHAPTEE  18. 

LiBKAKY   EeGULATIONS. 

No  feature  in  library  administration  is  more  important 
than  the  regulations  under  whieli  the  service  of  the  library 
is  conducted.  Upon  their  propriety  and  regular  enforce- 
ment depends  very  much  of  the  utility  of  the  collection. 

Rules  are  of  two  kinds,  those  which  concern  the  libra- 
rian and  assistants,  and  those  which  concern  the  public 
resorting  to  the  library.  Of  the  first  class  are  the  regula- 
tions as  to  hours,  division  of  labor,  leaves  or  vacations  of 
employees,  &c.  The  larger  the  library,  and  consequently 
the  force  employed,  the  more  important  is  a  careful  adjust- 
ment of  relative  duties,  and  of  the  times  and  seasons  to  be 
devoted  to  them.  The  assignment  of  work  to  the  various 
assistants  will  naturally  depend  upon  their  respective  quali- 
fications. Those  who  know  Latin,  and  two  or  more  of  the 
modern  languages,  would  probably  be  employed  upon  the 
catalogue.  Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  range  of 
books  published,  in  literature  and  science,  will  be  best 
qualified  for  the  service  of  the  reading-room,  which  in- 
volves the  supply  of  books  and  information.  In  direct 
proportion  to  the  breadth  of  information  possessed  by  any 
one,  will  be  his  usefulness  in  promptly  supplying  the  wants 
of  readers.  Nothing  is  so  satisfactory  to  students  in  libra- 
ries, or  to  the  casual  seekers  of  information  of  any  kind,  as 
to  find  their  wants  immediately  supplied.  The  reader 
whom  an  intelligent  librarian  or  assistant  answers  at  once 
is  grateful  to  the  whole  establishment;  while  the  reader 
who  is  required  to  wait  ten  to  twenty  minutes  for  what  he 
wants,  becomes  impatient  and  sometimes  querulous,  or 
leaves  the  library  unsatisfied. 

(341) 


342  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

One  rule  of  service  at  the  library  desk  or  counter  should 
be  that  every  assistant  there  employed  should  deem  it  his 
duty  to  aid  immediately  any  one  who  is  waiting,  no  matter 
what  other  concerns  may  engage  his  attention.  In  other 
words,  the  one  primary  rule  of  a  public  library  should  be 
that  the  service  of  the  public  is  always  paramount.  All 
other  considerations  should  be  subordinate  to  that. 

It  is  desirable  that  assistants  in  every  library  should 
learn  all  departments  of  library  work,  cataloguing,  supply- 
ing books  and  information,  preparing  books  for  the 
shelves,  etc.  This  will  enable  each  assistant  to  take  the 
place  of  another  in  case  of  absence,  a  most  important  point. 
It  will  also  help  to  qualify  the  more  expert  for  promotion. 

A  second  rule  for  internal  adminstration  in  any  library 
should  be  that  all  books  are  to  be  distributed,  or  replaced 
upon  their  shelves,  daily.  If  this  is  not  systematically 
done,  the  library  will  tend  to  fall  into  chaos.  And  even  a 
small  number  of  volumes  not  in  their  places  will  embarrass 
the  attendants  seeking  them,  and  often  deprive  readers  of 
their  use — a  thing  to  be  always  sedulously  avoided. 

In  the  Library  of  Congress,  the  replacement  of  Ijooks 
upon  the  shelves  is  carried  out  much  more  frequently  than 
once  daily.  As  fast  as  books  come  in  at  the  central  desk 
by  the  returns  of  readers,  they  are  sent  back  through  the 
book-carriers,  to  the  proper  floors,  where  the  outside  label- 
numbers  indicate  that  they  belong,  and  replaced  by  the 
attendant  there  on  their  proper  shelves.  These  mechani- 
cal book-carriers  run  all  day,  by  electric  power,  supplied 
by  a  dynamo  in  the  basement,  and,  with  their  endless  chain 
and  attached  boxes  constantly  revolving,  they  furnish  a 
near  approach  to  perpetual  motion.  Thus  I  have  seen  a 
set  of  Macaulay's  England,  called  for  by  ticket  from  the 
reading-room,  arrive  in  three  minutes  from  the  outlying 
book-repository  or  iron  stack,  several  hundreds  of  feet  dis- 


LIBRARY   REGULATIONS.  343 

tant  on  an  upper  floor,  placed  on  the  reader's  table,  re- 
ferred to,  and  returned  at  once,  then  placed  in  the  book- 
carrier  by  the  desk  attendant,  received  back  on  its  proper 
floor,  and  distributed  to  its  own  shelf  by  the  attendant 
there,  all  within  half  an  hour  after  the  reader's  application. 
Another  rule  to  be  observed  by  the  reading-room  attend- 
ant* is  to  examine  all  call-slips,  or  readers'  tickets,  remain- 
ing uncalled  for  at  the  close  of  each  day's  business,  and  see 
if  the  books  on  them  are  present  in  the  library.  This  pre- 
caution is  demanded  by  the  security  of  the  collection,  as 
well  as  by  the  good  order  and  arrangement  of  the  library. 
Neglect  of  it  may  lead  to  losses  or  misplacements,  which 
might  be  prevented  by  careful  and  unremitting  observance 
of  this  rule. 

Another  rule  of  eminent  jiropriety  is  that  librarians  or 
assistants  are  not  to  read  newspapers  during  library  hours. 
When  there  happen  to  be  no  readers  waiting  to  be  helped, 
the  time  should  be  constantly  occupied  with  other  library 
work.  There  is  no  library  large  enough  to  be  worthy  of 
the  name,  that  does  not  have  arrears  of  work  incessantly 
waiting  to  be  done.  And  while  this  is  the  case,  no  library 
time  should  be  wasted  upon  periodicals,  which  should  be 
perused  only  outside  of  library  hours.  If  one  person  em- 
ployed in  a  library  reads  the  newspaper  or  magazine,  the 
bad  example  is  likely  to  be  followed  by  others.  Thus  seri- 
ous inattention  to  the  wants  of  readers,  as  well  as  neglect 
of  lil^rary  work  postponed,  will  be  sure  to  follow. 

A  fourth  rule,  resting  upon  the  same  reason,  should  pre- 
vent any  long  sustained  gossip  or  conversation  during  li- 
brary hours.  That  time  belongs  explicitly  to  the  pnl)lic 
or  to  the  work  of  the  library.  The  rule  of  silence  which 
is  enforced  upon  the  public  in  the  interest  of  readers 
should  not  bo  broken  by  the  library  managers  themselves. 
Such  brief  question  and  answer  as  emergency  or  the  need- 


3-A-i  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

ful  business  of  tlie  library  requires  should  be  conducted  in 
a  low  tone,  and  soon  ended.  Library  administration  is  a 
business,  and  must  be  conducted  in  a  business  way.  No 
library  can  properly  be  turned  into  a  place  of  conversation. 

All  differences  or  disputes  between  attendants  as  to  the 
work  to  be  done  by  each,  or  methods,  or  any  other  question 
leading  to  dissension,  should  be  promptly  and  decisively 
settled  by  the  librarian,  and  of  course  cheerfully  submitted 
to  by  all.  Good  order  and  discipline  require  that  there 
should  be  only  one  final  authority  in  any  library.  Con- 
troversies are  not  only  unseemly  in  themselves,  but  they 
are  time-consuming,  and  are  liable  to  be  overheard  by 
readers,  to  the  prejudice  of  those  who  engage  in  them. 

Another  rule  to  be  observed  is  to  examine  all  books  re- 
turned, as  carefully  as  a  glance  through  the  volume  will 
permit,  to  detect  any  missing  or  started  leaves,  or  injury 
to  bindings.  No  volume  bearing  marks  of  dilapidation  of 
any  kind  should  be  permitted  to  go  back  to  the  shelves,  or 
be  given  to  readers,  but  placed  in  a  bindery  reserve  for 
needful  repairs. 

It  should  hardly  be  necessary  to  say  that  all  those  con- 
nected Avith  a  public  library  should  be  carefully  observant 
of  hours,  and  be  always  in  their  places,  unless  excused. 
The  discipline  of  every  library  should  be  firm  in  this  re- 
spect, and  dilatory  or  tardy  assistants  brought  to  regard 
the  rule  of  prompt  and  regular  service.  "No  absence  with- 
out leave"  should  be  mentally  posted  in  the  consciousness 
and  the  conscience  of  every  one. 

Another  rule  should  limit  the  time  for  mid-day  refresh- 
ment, and  so  arrange  it  that  the  various  persons  employed 
go  at  different  hours.  As  to  time  employed,  half-an-hour 
for  lunch,  as  allowed  in  the  Washington  departments,  is 
long  enough  in  any  library. 

Furloughs  or  vacations  should  be  regulated  to  suit  the 


LIBEART   REGULATIONS.  346 

library  service,  and  not  allow  several  to  be  absent  at  the 
same  time.  As  to  length  of  vacation  time,  few  libraries 
can  afford  the  very  liberal  fashion  of  twelve  months  wages 
for  eleven  months  work,  as  prevalent  in  the  Washington 
Departments.  The  average  vacation  time  of  business 
houses — about  two  weeks — more  nearly  corresponds  to  that 
allowed  in  the  smaller  public  libraries.  Out  of  173  libra- 
ries reporting  in  1893,  61  allowed  four  weeks  or  more  vaca- 
tion, 27  three  weeks,  54  two  weeks,  and  31  none.  But  in 
cases  of  actual  illness,  the  rule  of  liberality  should  be  fol- 
lowed, and  no  deduction  of  wages  should  follow  temporary 
disability. 

Where  many  library  attendants  are  employed,  all  should 
be  required  to  enter  on  a  daily  record  slieet  or  book,  the 
hour  of  beginning  work.  Then  the  rule  of  no  absence 
without  special  leave  should  be  enforced  as  to  all  during 
the  day. 

We  now  come  to  such  rules  of  library  administration 
as  concern  the  readers,  or  the  public.  Tlie  rule  of  silence, 
or  total  abstinence  from  loud  talking,  should  be  laid  down 
and  enforced.  This  is  essential  for  the  protection  of  every 
reader  from  annoyance  or  interruption  in  his  pursuits. 
The  rule  should  be  printed  on  all  readers'  tickets,  and  it  is 
well  also  to  post  the  word  stlexce,  in  large  letters,  in  two 
or  more  conspicuous  places  in  the  reading-room.  This 
will  give  a  continual  reminder  to  all  of  what  is  expected, 
and  will  usually  prevent  any  loud  conversation.  While 
absolute  silence  is  impossible  in  any  public  library,  tlie  in- 
•[uiries  and  answers  at  the  desk  can  always  be  made  in  a 
low  and  even  tone,  which  need  attract  no  attention  from 
any  readers,  if  removed  only  a  few  feet  distant.  As  there 
are  always  persons  among  readers  who  will  talk,  notwith- 
standing rules,  they  should  be  checked  by  a  courteous  re- 
minder from  the  librarian,  rather  than  from  any  subor- 


3-46  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    HEADERS. 

dinate.  This — for  the  obvious  reason  that  admonition 
from  the  highest  authority  carries  the  greatest  weight. 

Another  rule,  which  should  always  be  printed  on  the 
call-slips,  or  readers'  tickets,  is  the  requirement  to  return 
books  and  receive  back  their  tickets  always  before  leaving 
the  library.  This  duty  is  very  commonly  neglected,  from 
the  utter  carelessness  of  many  readers,  who  do  not  realize 
that  signing  their  ticket  for  any  book  holds  them  respon- 
sible for  it  until  it  is  returned.  Many  are  unwilling  to 
spend  a  moment's  time  in  waiting  for  a  ticket  to  be  re- 
turned to  them.  Many  will  leave  their  books  on  tables  or 
seats  where  they  were  reading,  and  go  away  without  re- 
claiming their  receipts.  While  complete  observance  of 
this  rule  is  of  course  hopeless  of  attainment  in  a  country 
where  free  and  easy  manners  prevail,  every  librarian  should 
endeavor  to  secure  at  least  an  approximate  compliance  with 
a  rule  adopted  alike  for  the  security  and  good  order  of  the 
library,  and  the  efficient  service  of  the  reader. 

All  readers  should  be  privileged  to  reserve  books  from 
day  to  day  which  they  have  not  completed  the  use  of,  and 
instructed  always  to  give  notice  of  such  reservation  before 
leaving  the  library.  This  saves  much  time,  both  to  the 
reader  and  to  the  librarian  in  sending  repeatedly  for  books 
put  away  needlessly. 

In  a  circulating  library,  a  fixed  rule  limiting  the  time 
for  which  a  book  may  be  kept,  is  essential.  This  may  be 
from  three  days  to  two  weeks,  according  to  the  demand 
for  the  book,  but  it  should  not  exceed  the  latter  period. 
Still,  a  renewal  term  may  be  conceded,  provided  the  book 
is  not  otherwise  called  for.  A  small  fine  of  so  much  a  day 
for  each  volume  kept  out  beyond  the  time  prescribed  by 
the  rule,  will  often  secure  prompt  return,  and  is  the  usage 
in  most  libraries  where  books  are  lent  out.  In  the  Boston 
Public  Library  no  renewals  are  allowed.     A  rule  requiring 


LIBRARY    REGULATION'S.  347 

the  replacement  or  repair  of  books  damaged  while  in  the 
hands  of  a  reader  should  be  printed  and  enforced.  It  may 
properly  be  waived  where  the  damage  is  slight  or  unavoid- 
able. 

In  public  circulating  libraries,  a  rule  of  registration  is 
required,  and  in  some  libraries  of  reference  also;  but  in  the 
Library  of  Congress  all  readers  over  sixteen  are  admitted 
without  any  formality  or  registration  whatever. 

In  popular  libraries,  the  need  of  a  registry  list  of  those 
entitled  to  borrow  books,  is  obvious,  to  prevent  the  issue 
to  improper  or  unauthorized  persons;  as,  for  example, 
residents  of  another  town,  or  persons  under  the  prescribed 
age  of  admission  to  librar}^  privileges.  A  printed  library 
card  should  be  issued  to  each  person  privileged  to  draw 
books;  corresponding  in  number  to  the  page  or  index-card 
of  the  library  record.  Eacli  card  should  bear  the  full 
name  and  address  of  the  applicant,  and  be  signed  with  an 
obligation  to  obey  the  rules  of  the  library.  On  this  card 
all  books  drawn  may  be  entered,  always  with  month  and 
day  date,  and  credited  with  date  of  return,  the  parallel  en- 
tries being  at  the  same  time  made  in  tlie  library  charging 
record. 

Library  cards  of  registration  should  be  issued  for  a  lim- 
ited period,  say  twelve  months,  in  order  to  bring  all  per- 
sons to  a  systematic  review  of  tlicir  privilege,  and  should 
be  renewed  annually,  so  long  as  tlie  holder  is  entitled  to 
registration.  No  books  should  l)e  issued  except  to  those 
presenting  registration  cards,  together  with  a  call-slip  or 
ticket  for  the  book  wanted. 

Another  rule  should  fix  a  limit  to  the  number  of  vol- 
umes to  1)0  drawn  by  any  reader.  Two  volumes  out  at  any 
one  time  would  be  a  fair  limit.  If  made  more  to  nil  read- 
ers, there  is  likely  to  be  sometimes  a  scarcity  of  books  to 
be  drawn  upon;  and  if  a  few  readers  are  permitted  to  draw 


348  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    EEADEES. 

more  than  others,  the  charge  of  undue  favoritism  will  be 
justified. 

Another  rule  should  be  that  any  incivility  or  neglect  on 
the  part  of  any  library  attendant  should  be  reported  to 
the  librarian.  In  such  cases,  the  attendant  should  always 
be  heard,  before  any  admonition  or  censure  is  bestowed. 

An  almost  necessary  rule  in  most  libraries  is  that  no 
book  should  be  taken  from  the  shelves  by  any  person  not 
employed  in  the  library.  The  exceptions  are  of  course, 
the  books  provided  expressly  for  the  free  and  open  refer- 
ence of  the  readers. 

Another  essential  rule  is  that  no  writing  or  marks  may 
be  made  in  any  library  book  or  periodical ;  nor  is  any  turn- 
ing down  of  leaves  permitted.  A  printed  warning  is  im- 
portant to  the  effect  that  any  cutting  or  defacing  of  library 
books  or  periodicals  is  a  penal  offense,  and  will  be  prose- 
cuted according  to  law. 

The  regulations  for  admission  to  library  privileges  are 
important.  In  this  country  the  age  limitation  is  more 
liberal  than  in  Europe.  The  Boston  Public  Library,  for 
example,  is  free  to  all  persons  over  twelve  years  of  age. 
In  the  Library  of  Congress,  the  age  limit  is  sixteen  years 
or  upward,  to  entitle  one  to  the  privileges  of  a  reader. 
In  the  Astor  Library,  none  are  admitted  under  nineteen, 
and  in  the  British  Museum  Library  none  below  twenty- 
one  years. 

The  hours  during  which  the  library  is  open  should  be 
printed  as  part  of  the  regulations. 

All  the  library  rules  should  be  printed  and  furnished  to 
the  public.  The  most  essential  of  them,  if  carefully  ex- 
pressed in  few  words,  can  be  grouped  in  a  single  small 
sheet,  of  16mo.  size  or  less,  and  pasted  in  the  inside  cover 
of  every  book  belonging  to  the  library.  Better  still,  (and 
it  will  save  expense  in  printing)  let  the  few  simple  rules,  in 


LIBRARY   REPORTS  AND  ADVERTISING.  349 

small  but  legible  type,  form  a  part  of  the  book  plate,  or  li- 
brary label,  which  goes  on  the  left-hand  inner  cover  of 
each  volume.  Thus  every  reader  will  have  before  him,  in 
daily  prominence,  the  regulations  which  he  is  to  observe, 
and  no  excuse  can  be  pleaded  of  ignorance  of  the  rules. 

As  no  law  is  ever  long  respected  unless  it  is  enforced,  so 
no  regulations  are  likely  to  be  observed  unless  adhered  to 
in  every  library.  Rules  are  a  most  essential  part  of  library 
administration,  and  it  should  be  a  primary  object  of  every 
librarian  or  assistant  to  see  that  they  are  observed  by  all. 


CHAPTER  19. 

LiBRABY  Reports  and  Advertising. 

"We  now  come  to  consider  the  annual  reports  of  libra- 
rians. These  should  be  made  to  the  trustees  or  board  of 
library  control,  by  whatever  name  it  may  be  known,  and 
should  be  addressed  to  the  chairman,  as  the  organ  of  the 
board.  In  the  preparation  of  such  reports,  two  conditions 
are  equally  essential — conciseness  and  comprehensiveness. 
Every  item  in  the  administration,  frequentation,  and  in- 
crease of  the  library  should  be  separately  treated,  but  eacli 
shr)uld  be  condensed  into  the  smallest  compass  consistent 
with  clear  statement.  Very  long  reports  are  costly  to  pub- 
lish, and  moreover,  have  small  chance  of  being  road.  Tn 
fact,  the  wide  perusal  of  any  report  is  in  direct  proportion 
to  its  brevity. 


350  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

This  being  premised,  let  us  see  what  topics  tlie  libra- 
rian's report  should  deal  with. 

1.  The  progress  of  the  library  during  the  year  must  be 
viewed  as  most  important.  A  statistical  statement  of  ac- 
cessions, giving  volumes  of  books,  and  number  of  pamph- 
lets  separately,  added  during  the  year,  should  be  followed 
by  a  statement  of  the  aggregate  of  volumes  and  pamphlets 
in  the  collection.  This  is  ascertained  by  actual  count  of 
the  books  upon  the  shelves,  adding  the  number  of  volumes 
charged  out,  or  in  the  bindery,  or  in  readers'  hands  at  the 
time  of  the  enumeration.  This  count  is  far  from  a  diffi- 
cult or  time-consuming  affair,  as  there  is  a  short-hand 
method  of  counting  by  which  one  person  can  easily  arrive 
at  the  aggregate  of  a  library  of  100,000  volumes,  in  a  sin- 
gle day  of  eight  to  ten  hours.  This  is  done  by  count- 
ing by  twos  or  threes  the  rows  of  books  as  they  stand 
on  the  shelves,  passing  the  finger  rapidly  along  the  backs, 
from  left  to  right  and  from  top  to  iDottom  of  the  shelves. 
As  fast  as  one  hundred  volumes  are  counted,  simply  write 
down  a  figure  one;  then,  at  the  end  of  the  second  hundred, 
a  figure  two,  and  so  on,  always  jotting  down  one  figure  the 
more  for  each  hundred  books  counted.  The  last  figure  in 
the  counter's  memorandum  will  represent  the  number  of 
hundreds  of  volumes  the  library  contains.  Thus,  if  the 
last  figure  is  92,  the  library  has  just  9,200  volumes.  This 
rapid,  and  ^t  the  same  time  accurate  method,  by  which  any 
one  of  average  quickness  can  easily  count  two  hundred 
volumes  a  minute,  saves  all  counting  up  by  tallies  of  five 
or  ten,  and  also  all  slow  additions  of  figures,  since  one 
figure  at  the  end  multiplied  by  one  hundred,  expresses  the 
whole. 

2.  Any  specially  noteworthy  additions  to  the  library 
should  be  briefly  specified. 

3.  A  list  of  donors  of  books  during  the  year,  with  num- 


LIBRARY   REPORTS  AND   ADVERTISING.  351 

ber  of  volumes  given  by  each,  should  form  part  of  the  re- 
port.    This  may  properly  come  at  the  end  as  an  appendix. 

4.  A  brief  of  the  money  income  of  the  year,  with  sources 
whence  derived,  and  of  all  expenditures,  for  books,  salaries, 
contingent  expenses,  etc.,  should  form  a  part  of  the  re- 
port, unless  reported  separately  by  a  treasurer  of  the  li- 
brary funds. 

5.  The  statistics  of  a  librarian's  report,  if  of  a  lending 
library,  should  give  the  aggregate  number  of  volumes  cir- 
culated during  the  year,  also  the  number  of  borrowers  re- 
corded who  have  used  and  who  have  not  used  the  privilege 
of  borrowing.  Tlie  number  of  volumes  used  by  readers  in 
the  reference  or  reading-room  department  should  be  given, 
as  well  as  the  aggregate  of  readers.  It  is  usual  in  some 
library  reports  to  classify  the  books  used  by  readers,  as,  so 
many  in  history,  poetry,  travels,  natural  science,  etc.,  but 
this  involves  labor  and  time  quite  out  of  proportion  to  its 
utility.  Still,  a  comparative  statement  of  the  aggregate 
volumes  of  fiction  read  or  drawn  out,  as  against  all  other 
books,  may  be  highly  useful  as  an  object  lesson,  if  em- 
bodied in  the  library  report. 

G.  A  statement  of  the  actual  condition  of  the  liljrary,  as 
to  books,  shelving  accommodations,  furniture,  etc.,  with 
any  needful  suggestions  for  improvement,  should  be  in- 
cluded in  the  annual  report. 

7.  A  well-considered  suggestion  of  the  value  of  contri- 
butions to  the  ]i1)rary  in  books  or  funds  to  enrich  ilie  col- 
lection, should  not  be  overlooked. 

8.  The  librarian  should  not  forget  a  word  of  praise  for 
liis  assistants,  in  the  groat  and  useful  work  of  carrying  on 
llie  li])rary.  This  will  tend  to  excite  added  zeal  to  excel, 
when  the  subordinates  feel  that  their  services  are  ajjpre- 
ciated  by  tlieir  head,  as  well  as  by  the  public. 

The  preparation  of  an  annual  report  affords  some  test 


352  A   BOOK   FOR  ALL   READERS, 

of  the  librarian's  skill  and  judgment.  It  should  aim  at 
plain  and  careful  statement,  and  all  rhetoric  should  be  dis- 
pensed with.  Divided  into  proper  heads,  a  condensed 
statement  of  facts  or  suggestions  under  each  should  be 
made,  and  all  repetition  avoided. 

Such  a  library  report  should  never  fail  to  set  forth  the 
great  benefit  to  the  community  which  a  free  use  of  its 
treasures  implies,  while  urging  the  importance  of  building 
up  the  collection,  through  liberal  gifts  of  books,  peri- 
odicals, or  money,  thus  enabling  it  to  answer  the  wants 
of  readers  more  fully,  year  by  year.  It  will  sometimes  be 
a  wise  suggestion  to  be  made  in  a  librarian's  report,  that 
the  library  still  lacks  some  specially  important  work,  such 
as  Larned's  "History  for  Eeady  Eeference,"  or  the  exten- 
sive "Dictionary  of  National  Biography,"  or  Brunet's 
Manuel  du  Lihraire,  or  a  set  of  Congressional  Debates  from 
the  beginning;  and  such  a  suggestion  may  often  bear  fruit 
in  leading  some  public-spirited  citizen  to  supply  the  want 
by  a  timely  contribution. 

Of  course,  the  annual  report  of  every  public  library 
should  be  printed,  and  as  pamphlets  are  seldom  read,  and 
tend  rapidly  to  disappear,  its  publication  in  the  news- 
papers is  vastly  more  important  tiian  in  any  other  form. 
While  a  pamphlet  report  may  reach  a  few  people,  the  news- 
paper reaches  nearly  all;  and  as  a  means  of  diffusing  in- 
formation in  any  community,  it  stands  absolutely  without 
rival.  Whether  the  library  reports  shall  be  printed  in 
pamphlet  form  or  not  is  a  matter  of  expediency,  to  be  de- 
termined by  the  managing  board.  Funds  are  rarely  am- 
ple enough,  in  the  smaller  town  libraries,  to  justify  the 
expense,  in  view  of  the  small  circulation  which  such  re- 
ports receive,  and  it  is  much  better  to  put  the  money  into 
printing  library  catalogues,  which  every  body  needs  and 
will  use,  than  into  library  reports,  which  comparatively 


LIBRARY   REPORTS  AND   ADVERTISING,  353 

few  will  make  any  use  of.  A  judicious  compromise  may 
be  usefully  made,  by  inducing  some  newspaper,  which 
would  print  a  liberal  share  of  the  report  free  of  charge,  as 
news,  for  public  information,  to  put  the  whole  in  type  and 
strike  off  a  few  hundred  copies  in  sheet  form  or  pages,  at  a 
moderate  charge. 

This  would  enable  the  library  officers  to  distribute  a 
goodly  number,  and  to  keep  copies  of  each  annual  report 
for  reference,  without  the  expense  of  a  pamphlet  edition. 

In  some  of  the  larger  and  more  enter2)rising  of  city  libra- 
ries, reports  are  made  quarterly  or  monthly  by  the  libra- 
rian. These  of  course  are  much  more  nearly  up  to  date, 
and  if  they  publish  lists  of  books  added  to  the  library,  they 
are  correspondingly  useful.  Frequently  they  contain  spe- 
cial bibliographies  of  books  on  certain  subjects.  Among 
these,  the  monthly  bulletins  of  the  Boston  Public  Library, 
Harvard  University  Library,  'New  York  Public  Library, 
Salem,  Mass.,  Public  Library,  and  the  Providence  Public 
Library  are  specially  numerous  and  important. 

The  relations  of  a  public  library  to  the  local  press  of 
the  city  or  to^\^l  where  it  is  situated  will  now  be  noticed. 
It  is  the  interest  of  the  librarian  to  extend  the  usefulness 
of  the  library  by  every  means;  and  the  most  effective  means 
is  to  make  it  widely  known.  In  every  place  are  found 
many  who  are  quite  ignorant  of  the  stores  of  knowledge 
which  lie  at  their  doors  in  the  free  library.  And  among 
those  who  do  know  it  and  resort  to  it,  are  many  who  need 
to  have  their  interest  and  attention  aroused  by  frequent 
notices  as  to  its  progress,  recent  additions  to  its  stores,  etc. 
The  more  often  the  library  is  brought  before  the  public  by 
the  press,  the  more  interest  will  be  taken  in  it  by  the  com- 
munity for  whose  information  it  exists. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  library  conduc- 
tors should  have  the  active  good  will  of  all  the  newspaper 


354  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

editors  in  its  vicinity.  This  will  be  acquired  both  by  aid- 
ing them  in  all  researches  which  the  daily  or  frequent 
wants  of  their  profession  render  necessary;  and  also,  by 
giving  them  freely  and  often  items  of  intelligence  about 
the  library  for  publication.  Enterprising  Journals  are 
perpetually  on  the  hunt  for  new  and  varied  matter  to  fill 
their  columns.  They  send  their  reporters  to  the  library 
to  make  "a  story,"  as  it  is  called,  out  of  something  in  it 
or  about  it.  These  reporters  are  very  seldom  persons 
versed  in  books,  or  able  to  write  understandingly  or  at- 
tractively about  them.  Left  to  themselves  to  construct 
"a  story"  out  of  a  half  hour's  conversation  with  the  libra- 
rian, the  chances  are  that  an  article  will  be  produced  which 
contains  nearly  as  many  errors  as  matters  of  fact,  with  the 
names  of  authors  or  the  titles  of  their  books  mis-spelled  or 
altered,  and  with  matters  manufactured  out  of  the  report- 
er's fancy  which  formed  no  part  of  the  interview,  while 
what  did  form  important  features  in  it  are  perhaps  omit- 
ted. The  remedy,  or  rather  the  preventive  of  such  in- 
adequate reports  of  what  the  librarian  would  say  to  the 
public  is  to  become  his  own  reporter.  The  papers  will 
willingly  take  for  publication  short  "library  notes,"  as 
they  may  be  called,  containing  information  about  the  li- 
brary or  its  books,  carefully  type-written.  This  course  at 
once  secures  accurate  and  authentic  statements,  and  saves 
the  time  of  the  press  reporters  for  other  work. 

Bear  in  mind  always  that  the  main  object  of  such  library 
notices  is  to  attract  attention,  and  encourage  people  to  use 
the  library.  Thus  there  should  be  sought  frequent  oppor- 
tunities of  advertising  the  library  by  this  best  of  all  possible 
means,  because  it  is  the  one  which  reaches  the  largest 
number.  To  do  it  well  requires  some  skill  and  practice, 
and  to  do  It  often  is  quite  as  essential  as  to  do  it  well. 
Keep  the  library  continually  before  the  public.     What  are 


LIBRARY   REPORTS  AND  ADVERTISING.  355 

the  business  houses  which  are  most  thronged  with  custo- 
mers? They  are  those  that  advertise  most  persistently 
and  attractively.  So  with  the  library;  it  will  be  more  and 
more  resorted  to,  in  proportion  as  it  keeps  its  name  and  its 
riches  before  the  public  eye. 

A  certain  timeliness  in  these  library  notices  should  be 
cultivated.  The  papers  are  eager  to  get  anything  that  il- 
lustrates what  is  uppermost  in  the  public  mind.  If  a  local 
fair  is  in  progress  or  preparing,  give  them  a  list  of  the  best 
books  the  library  has  in  that  field ;  the  history  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Exposition,  the  Chicago  "World's  Fair,  the  Paris 
Expositions,  &c.  On  another  day,  set  forth  the  books  on 
manufactures,  horses,  cattle,  domestic  animals,  decorative 
art,  &c.  If  there  is  a  poultry  exhibition,  or  a  dog  show, 
call  public  attention  to  the  books  on  poultry  or  dogs.  If 
an  art  exhibition,  bring  forward  the  titles  of  books  on 
painting,  sculpture,  drawing,  and  the  history  of  art,  an- 
cient and  modern. 

If  some  great  man  has  died,  as  Bismarck  or  Gladstone, 
give  the  titles  of  any  biographies  or  books  about  him,  add- 
ing even  references  to  notable  magazine  articles  that  have 
appeared.  When  the  summer  vacation  is  coming  around, 
advertise  your  best  books  of  travel,  of  summer  resorts,  of 
ocean  voyages,  of  yachting,  camping,  fishing  and  shooting, 
golf  and  other  out-door  games,  etc.  If  there  is  a  Presiden- 
tial campaign  raging,  make  known  the  library's  riches  in 
political  science,  the  history  of  administrations,  and  of 
nominating  conventions,  lives  of  the  Presidents,  books  on 
elections,  etc.  If  an  international  dispute  or  complication 
is  on  foot,  publish  the  titles  of  your  books  on  international 
law,  and  those  on  the  history  or  resources  of  the  country  or 
countries  involved;  and  when  a  war  is  in  progress,  books 
on  military  science,  campaigns,  battles,  Bieges.  and  the  his- 
tnrv  of  the  contending  nations  will  l)e  timely  and  inter- 
esting. 


356  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

Whatever  you  do  in  this  direction,  make  it  short  and  at- 
tractive. Organize  your  material,  describe  a  specially  Iut 
teresting  work  by  a  reference  to  its  style,  or  its  illustra- 
tions, or  its  reputation,  etc.  Distribute  your  library  notes 
impartially;  that  is,  if  several  papers  are  published,  be  care- 
ful not  to  slight  any  of  them.  Find  out  the  proper  days 
to  suit  their  want  of  matter,  and  never  send  in  your  notes 
when  the  paper  is  overcrowded.  Always  read  a  proof-slip 
of  each  article;  time  spent  in  going  to  a  newspaper  office 
to  correct  proof  is  well  spent,  for  misprints  always  await 
the  unwary  who  trusts  to  the  accuracy  of  types. 

If  the  library  acquires  any  extensive  or  notable  book, 
whether  old  or  new,  do  not  fail  to  make  it  known  through 
the  press.  If  any  citizen  gives  a  number  of  volumes  to  the 
library,  let  his  good  deeds  have  an  appreciative  notice,  that 
others  may  go  and  do  likewise. 

Another  feature  of  library  advertising  is  the  publication 
in  the  press  of  the  titles  of  new  books  added  to  the  library. 
As  this  is  merely  catalogue  printing,  however  abbreviated 
in  form  the  titles  may  be,  it  will  usually  (and  very  prop- 
erly) be  charged  for  by  the  newspapers.  But  it  will  pay, 
in  the  direction  of  inducing  a  much  larger  use  of  the  li- 
brary, and  as  the  sole  object  of  the  institution  is  to  con- 
tribute to  public  intelligence,  it  becomes  library  managers 
not  to  spare  any  expense  so  conducive  to  that  result. 


CHAPTER  20. 
The    Formation    of    Libraries. 

In  the  widely  extended  and  growing  public  interest  in 
libraries  for  the  peoj)le,  and  in  the  ever  increasing  gather- 
ings of  books  by  private  collectors,  I  may  be  pardoned  for 
BC'ine  suggestions  pertaining  specially  to  the  formation  of 
libraries.  I  do  not  refer  to  the  selection  of  books,  which 
is  treated  in  the  first  chapter,  nor  to  the  housing  and  care 
of  libraries,  but  to  some  important  points  involved  in  or- 
ganizing the  foundation,  so  to  speak,  of  a  library. 

The  problem,  of  course,  is  a  widely  dill'erent  one  for  the 
private  collector  of  an  individual  or  family  library,  and 
for  the  organizers  of  a  public  one.  But  in  either  case,  it 
is  important,  first  of  all,  to  have  a  clearly  defined  and  well 
considered  plan.  Without  this,  costly  mistakes  are  apt 
to  be  made,  and  time,  energy  and  money  wasted,  all  of 
which  might  be  saved  by  seeing  the  end  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  planning  accordingly. 

Let  us  suppose  that  a  resident  in  a  community  which 
has  never  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  circulating  library  con- 
ceives the  idea  of  using  every  means  to  secure  one.  The 
first  question  that  arises  is,  what  are  those  means?  If  the 
State  in  wliicli  his  residence  lies  has  a  Lil)rary  law,  em- 
powering any  town  or  city  to  raise  money  by  taxation  for 
founding  and  maintaining  a  free  library,  the  way  is  appar- 
ently easy,  at  first  sight.  But  here  comes  in  the  problem 
— can  the  requisite  authority  to  lay  the  tax  be  secured? 
Tliis  may  involve  difficulties  unforeseen  at  first.  If  there 
is  a  city  charter,  docs  it  empower  the  municipal  authori- 
ties (city  council  or  aldermen)  to  levy  sucli  a  tax?     If  not, 

(357) 


358  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    EEADERS. 

then  appeal  must  be  made  to  a  popular  vote,  at  some  elec- 
tion of  municipal  officers, at  which  the  ballots  for  or  against 
a  Library  tax  should  determine  the  question.  This  will  at 
once  involve  a  campaign  of  ednication,  in  which  should  be 
enlisted  (1)  The  editors  of  all  the  local  papers.  (2)  The 
local  clergymen,  lawyers  and  physicians.  (3)  All  literary 
men  and  citizens  of  wealth  or  influence  in  the  commun- 
ity. (4)  All  teachers  in  the  public  schools  and  other  insti- 
tutions of  learning.  (5)  The  members  of  the  city  or  town 
government.  These  last  will  be  apt  to  feel  any  impulse  of 
public  sentiment  more  keenly  than  their  own  individual 
opinions  on  the  subject.  In  any  case,  the  public-spirited 
man  who  originates  the  movement  should  enlist  as  many 
able  coadjutors  as  he  can.  If  he  is  not  himself  gifted 
with  a  ready  tongue,  he  should  persuade  some  others  who 
are  ready  and  eloquent  talkers  to  take  up  the  cause,  and 
should  inspire  them  with  his  own  zeal.  A  public  meeting 
should  be  called,  after  a  goodly  number  of  well-known  and 
influential  people  are  enlisted  (not  before)  and  addresses 
should  be  made,  setting  forth  the  great  advantage  of  a  free 
library  to  every  family.  Its  value  to  educate  the  people, 
to  furnish  entertainment  that  will  go  far  to  supplant  idle- 
ness and  intemperance,  to  help  on  the  work  of  the  public 
schools,  and  to  elevate  the  taste,  improve  the  morals, 
quicken  the  intellect  and  employ  the  leisure  hours  of  all, 
should  be  set  forth. 

With  all  these  means  of  persuasion  constantly  in  exer- 
cise, and  unremitting  diligence  in  pushing  the  good  cause 
through  the  press  and  by  every  private  opportunity,  up  to 
the  very  day  of  the  election,  the  chances  are  heavily  in 
favor  of  passing  the  library  measure  by  a  good  majority. 
It  must  be  a  truly  Boeotian  community,  far  gone  in  stu- 
pidity or  something  worse,  which  would  so  stand  in  its 
own  light  as  to  vote  down  a  measure  conducing  in  the  high- 


FORMATION    OF    LIBEARIES.  359 

est  degree  to  the  public  intelligence.  But  even  should  it 
be  defeated,  its  advocates  should  never  be  discouraged. 
Like  all  other  reforms  or  improvements,  its  progress  may 
be  slow  at  first,  but  it  is  none  the  less  sure  to  win  in  the 
end.  One  defeat  has  often  led  to  a  more  complete  victory 
when  the  conflict  is  renewed.  The  beaten  party  gathers 
wisdom  by  experience,  finds  out  any  weakness  existing  in 
its  ranks  or  its  management,  and  becomes  sensible  where 
its  greatest  strength  should  be  put  forth  in  a  renewal  of 
the  contest.  The  promoters  of  the  measure  should  at  once 
begin  a  fresh  agitation.  They  should  pledge  every  friend 
of  the  library  scheme  to  stand  by  it  himself,  and  to  secure 
at  least  one  new  convert  to  the  cause.  And  the  chances 
are  that  it  will  be  carried  triumphantly  through  at  the 
next  trial,  or,  if  not  then,  at  least  within  no  long  time. 

But  we  should  consider  also  the  case  of  those  communi- 
ties where  no  State  Library  law  exists.  These  are  unhap- 
pily not  a  few;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  even  so  old, 
and  rich,  and  well-developed  a  State  as  Pennsylvania  had 
no  such  provision  for  public  enlightenment  until  within 
three  years.  In  the  absence  of  a  law  empowering  local 
governments  or  voters  to  lay  a  tax  for  such  a  purpose,  the 
most  obvious  way  of  founding  a  library  is  by  local  sub- 
scription. This  is  of  course  a  less  desirable  method  than 
one  by  which  all  citizens  should  contribute  to  the  object 
in  proportion  to  their  means.  But  it  is  better  to  avail  of 
the  means  that  exist  in  any  ))lace  than  to  wait  an  in- 
definite period  for  a  State  Legislature  to  ])e  educated  up 
to  the  point  of  passing  measures  which  would  render  the 
formation  of  libraries  easy  in  all  places. 

Let  the  experiment  be  tried  of  founding  a  library  by 
individual  effort  and  concert.  With  only  two  or  three 
zealous  and  active  ])romotors,  even  such  a  ])hm  can  be  car- 
ried into  successful  operation  in  almost  any  community. 


360  A    BOOK    FOn    ALL    READERS. 

A  canvass  should  be  made  from  house  to  house,  with  a 
short  prospectus  or  agreement  drawn  up,  pledging  the 
subscribers  to  give  a  certain  sum  toward  the  foundation 
of  a  library.  If  a  few  residents  with  large  property  can 
be  induced  to  head  the  list  with,  liberal  subscriptions,  it 
will  aid  much  in  securing  confidence  in  the  success  of  the 
movement,  and  inducing  others  to  subscribe.  No  contri- 
butions, however  small,  should  fail  to  be  welcomed,  since 
they  stand  for  a  wider  interest  in  the  object.  After  a 
thorough  canvass  of  the  residents  of  the  place,  a  meeting  of 
those  subscribing  should  be  called,  and  a  statement  put  be- 
fore them  of  the  amount  subscribed.  Then  an  executive 
committee,  say  of  three  or  five  members,  should  be  chosen 
to  take  charge  of  the  enterprise.  This  committee  should 
appoint  a  chairman,  a  secretary,  and  a  treasurer,  the  latter 
to  receive  and  disburse  the  funds  subscribed.  The  chair- 
man should  call  and  preside  at  meetings  of  the  committee, 
of  which  the  secretary  should  record  the  proceedings  in  a 
book  kept  for  the  purpose. 

The  first  business  of  the  Library  committee  should  be 
to  confer  and  determine  upon  the  ways  and  means  of 
organizing  the  library.  This  involves  a  selection  of  books 
suitable  for  a  beginning,  a  place  of  deposit  for  them,  and 
a  custodian  or  librarian  to  catalogue  them  and  keep  the 
record  of  the  books  drawn  out  and  returned.  Usually,  a 
room  can  be  had  for  library  purposes  in  some  public  build- 
ing or  private  house,  centrally  located,  without  other  ex- 
pense than  that  of  warming  and  lighting.  The  services  of 
a  librarian,  too,  can  often  be  secured  by  competent  volun- 
teer aid,  there  being  usually  highly  intelligent  persons  with 
sufficient  leisure  to  give  their  time  for  the  common  benefit, 
or  to  share  that  duty  with  others,  thus  saving  all  the  funds 
for  books  to  enrich  the  library. 

The  chief  trouble  likely  to  be  encountered  by  a  Library 


FOEMAXrON    OF    LIBRARIES.  361 

committee  will  lie  in  the  selection  of  books  to  form  the 
nucleus  or  starting  point  of  the  collection.  Without  re- 
peating an3rthing  heretofore  suggested,  it  may  be  said  that 
great  care  should  be  taken  to  have  books  known  to  be 
excellent,  both  interesting  in  substance  and  attractive  in 
style.  To  so  apportion  the  moderate  amount  of  money  at 
disposal  as  to  give  variety  and  interest  to  the  collection, 
and  attract  readers  from  the  start,  is  a  problem  requiring 
good  judgment  for  its  solution.  Much  depends  upon  the 
extent  of  the  fund,  but  even  with  so  small  a  sum  as  two  or 
three  hundred  dollars,  a  collection  of  the  very  best  his- 
torians, poets,  essayists,  travellers  and  voyagers,  scientists, 
and  novelists  can  be  brought  together,  which  will  furnish 
a  range  of  entertaining  and  instructive  reading  for  several 
hundred  borrowers.  The  costlier  encyclopaedias  and 
works  of  reference  might  be  waited  for  until  funds  are 
recruited  by  a  library  fair,  or  lectures,  or  amateur  concerts, 
plays,  or  other  evening  entertainments. 

Another  way  of  recruiting  the  library  which  has  often 
proved  fruitful  is  to  solicit  contributions  of  books  and 
magazines  from  families  and  individuals  in  the  vicinity. 
This  should  be  undertaken  systematically  some  time  after 
the  subscriptions  in  money  have  been  gathered  in.  It  is 
not  good  policy  to  aim  at  such  donations  at  the  outset, 
since  many  might  make  them  an  excuse  for  not  subscrib- 
ing to  the  fund  for  founding  the  library,  which  it  is  to  the 
interest  of  all  to  make  as  large  as  possible.  But  when 
once  successfully  established,  appeals  for  books  and  peri- 
odicals will  surely  add  largely  to  the  collection,  and  al- 
though many  of  such  accessions  may  l)e  duplicates,  they 
will  none  the  less  enlarge  the  facilities  for  supplying  the 
demands  of  readers.  Families  who  have  read  through  all 
or  nearly  all  the  ])ooks  thoy  possess  will  gladly  bestow 
them  for  so  useful  a  purpose,  especially  when  assured  of 


362  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    HEADERS. 

reaping  reciprocal  l)enefit  by  the  opportunity  of  freely 
perusing  a  great  variety  of  choice  books,  new  and  old, 
which  they  have  never  read.  Sometimes,  too,  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  when  advised  of  the  lack  of  a  good  cyclo- 
paedia, or  of  the  latest  extensive  dictionary,  or  collective 
biography,  in  the  library,  will  be  happy  to  supply  it,  there- 
by winning  the  gratitude  and  good  will  of  all  who  frequent 
the  library.  All  donations  should  have  inserted  in  them  a 
neat  book-plate,  with  the  name  of  the  donor  inscribed,  iu 
connection  with  the  name  of  the  Library. 

Many  a  useful  library  of  circulation  has  been  started 
with  a  beginning  of  fifty  to  a  hundred  volumes,  and  the 
little  acorn  of  learning  thus  planted  has  grown  up  in  the 
course  of  years  to  a  great  tree,  full  of  fruitful  and  wide- 
spreading  branches. 


CHAPTEE  21. 

Classification. 

If  there  is  any  subject  which,  more  than  all  others,  di- 
vides opinion  and  provokes  endless  controversy  among  li- 
brarians and  scholars,  it  is  the  proper  classification  of 
books.  From  the  beginning  of  literature  this  has  been  a 
well-nigh  insoluble  problem.  Treatise  after  treatise  has 
been  written  upon  it,  system  has  been  piled  upon  system, 
learned  men  have  theorised  and  wrangled  about  it  all  their 
lives,  and  successive  generations  have  dropped  into  their 
graves,  leaving  the  vexed  question  as  unsettled  as  ever. 


CLASSIFICATION,  363 

Every  now  and  then  a  body  of  savans  or  a  convention  of 
librarians  wrestles  with  it,  and  perhaps  votes  upon  it, 
"And  by  decision  more  embroils  the  fray" 

since  the  dissatisfied  minority,  nearly  as  numerous  and 
quite  as  obstinate  as  the  majority,  always  refuses  to  be 
bound  by  it.  No  sooner  does  some  sapient  librarian,  with 
the  sublime  confidence  of  conviction,  get  his  classification 
house  of  cards  constructed  to  his  mind,  and  stands  rapt 
in  admiration  before  it,  when  there  comes  along  some  wise 
man  of  the  east,  and  demolishes  the  fair  edifice  at  a  blow, 
while  the  architect  stands  by  with  a  melancholy  smile,  and 
sees  all  his  household  gods  lying  shivered  around  him. 

Meanwhile,  systems  of  classification  keep  on  growing, 
until,  instead  of  the  thirty-two  systems  so  elaborately  de- 
scribed in  Edwards's  Memoirs  of  Libraries,  we  have  almost 
as  many  as  there  are  libraries,  if  the  endless  modifications 
of  them  are  taken  into  account.  In  fact,  one  begins  to 
realise  that  the  schemes  for  the  classification  of  knowledge 
are  becoming  so  numerous,  that  a  classification  of  the  sys- 
tems themselves  has  fairly  become  a  desideratum.  The 
youthful  neophyte,  who  is  struggling  after  an  education  in 
library  science,  and  thinks  perhaps  that  it  is  or  should  be 
an  exact  science,  is  bewildered  by  the  multitude  of  coun- 
sellors, gets  a  head-ache  over  their  conflicting  systems,  and 
adds  to  it  a  heart-ache,  perhaps,  over  the  animosities  and 
sarcasms  which  divide  the  warring  schools  of  opinion. 

Perhaps  there  would  be  less  trouble  about  classification, 
if  the  system-mongers  would  consent  to  admit  at  the  outset 
that  no  infallible  system  is  possible,  and  would  endeavor, 
amid  all  their  other  learning,  to  learn  a  little  of  the  saving 
grace  of  modesty.  A  writer  upon  this  subject  has  well 
observed  that  there  is  no  man  who  can  work  out  a  sohomc 
of  classification  that  will  satisfy  permanently  even  himself. 


364  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

Much  less  should  he  expect  that  others,  all  having  their 
favorite  ideas  and  systems,  should  be  satisfied  with  his.  As 
there  is  no  royal  road  to  learning,  so  there  can  be  none  to 
classification;  and  we  democratic  republicans,  who  stand 
upon  the  threshold  of  the  twentieth  century,  may  rest  sat- 
isfied that  in  the  Kepublic  of  Letters  no  autocrat  can  be 
allowed. 

The  chief  difficulty  with  most  systems  for  distributing 
the  books  in  a  library  appears  to  lie  in  the  attempt  to  apply 
scientific  minuteness  in  a  region  where  it  is  largely  inap- 
plicable. One  can  divide  and  sub-divide  the  literature  of 
any  science  indefinitely,  in  a  list  of  subjects,  but  such  ex- 
haustive sub-divisions  can  never  be  made  among  the  books 
on  the  shelves.  Here,  for  example,  is  a  "Treatise  on  dis- 
eases of  the  heart  and  lungs."  This  falls  naturally  into  its 
two  places  in  the  subject  catalogue,  the  one  under  "Heart," 
and  the  second  under  "Lungs;"  but  the  attempt  to  classify 
it  on  the  shelves  must  fail,  as  regards  half  its  contents. 
You  cannot  tear  the  book  to  pieces  to  satisfy  logical  classi- 
fication. Thousands  of  similar  cases  will  occur,  where  the 
same  book  treats  of  several  subjects.  ISI"early  all  periodi- 
cals and  transactions  of  societies  of  every  kind  refuse  to  be 
classified,  though  they  can  be  catalogued  perfectly  on  paper 
by  analysing  their  contents.  To  bring  all  the  resources  of 
the  library  on  any  subject  together  on  the  shelves  is  clearly 
impossible.  They  must  be  assembled  for  readers  from 
various  sections  of  the  library,  where  the  rule  of  analogy  or 
of  superior  convenience  has  placed  them. 

What  is  termed  close  classification,  it  will  be  found,  fails 
by  attempting  too  much.  One  of  the  chief  obstacles  to  its 
general  use  is  that  it  involves  a  too  complicated  notation. 
The  many  letters  and  figures  that  indicate  position  on  the 
shelves  are  difficult  to  remember  in  the  direct  ratio  of  their 
number.     The  more  minute  the  classification,  the  more 


CLASSIEICATION.  365 

signs  of  location  are  required.  When  they  become  very 
numerous,  in  any  system  of  classification,  the  system 
breaks  down  by  its  own  weight.  Library  attendants  con- 
sume an  undue  amount  of  time  in  learning  it,  and  li- 
brary cataloguers  and  classifiers  in  alBxing  the  requisite 
signs  of  designation  to  the  labels,  the  shelves,  and  the 
catalogues.  Memory,  too,  is  unduly  taxed  to  apply  the 
system.  While  a  superior  memory  may  be  found  equal  to 
any  task  imposed  upon  it,  average  memories  are  not  so  for- 
tunate. The  expert  librarian,  in  whose  accomplished  head 
the  whole  world  of  science  and  literature  lies  coordinated, 
so  that  he  can  apply  his  classification  unerringly  to  all  the 
books  in  a  vast  library,  must  not  presume  that  unskilled  as- 
sistants can  do  the  same. 

One  of  the  mistakes  made  by  the  positivists  in  classifica- 
tion is  the  claim  that  their  favorite  system  can  be  applied 
to  all  libraries  alike.  That  this  is  a  fallacy  may  be  seen 
in  an  example  or  two.  Take  the  case  of  a  large  and  com- 
prehensive Botanical  library,  in  which  an  exact  scientific 
distribution  of  the  books  may  and  should  be  made.  It  is 
classified  not  only  in  the  grand  divisions,  such  as  scientific 
and  economic  botany,  etc.,  but  a  close  analytical  treatment 
is  extended  over  the  whole  vegetable  kingdom.  Books 
treating  of  every  plant  are  relegated  to  their  appropriate 
classes,  genera,  and  species,  until  the  whole  library  is  or- 
ganised on  a  strictly  scientific  basis.  But  in  the  case,  even 
of  what  are  called  large  libraries,  so  minute  a  classification 
would  be  not  only  unnecessary,  but  even  obstructive  to 
I)rompt  service  of  the  books.  And  the  average  town  li- 
brary, containing  only  a  shelf  or  two  of  botanical  works, 
clearly  has  no  use  for  such  a  classification.  The  attempt 
to  impose  a  universal  law  upon  library  arrangement, 
while  the  conditions  of  the  collections  arc  endlessly  va- 
ried, is  foredoomed  to  failure. 


366  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   EEADERS. 

The  object  of  classification  is  to  bring  order  out  of  con- 
fusion, and  to  arrange  the  great  mass  of  books  in  science 
and  literature  of  which  every  library  is  composed,  so  that 
those  on  related  subjects  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible 
brought  together.  Let  us  suppose  a  collection  of  some 
hundred  thousand  volumes,  in  all  branches  of  huinan 
knowledge,  thrown  together  without  any  classification  or 
catalogue,  on  the  tables,  the  shelves,  and  the  floor  of  an 
extensive  reading-room.  Suppose  also  an  assemblage  of 
scholars  and  other  readers,  ready  and  anxious  to  avail 
themselves  of  these  literary  treasures,  this  immense  library 
without  a  key.  Each  wants  some  certain  book,  by  some 
author  whose  name  he  knows,  or  upon  some  subject  upon 
which  he  seeks  to  inform  himself.  But  how  vain  and  hope- 
less the  effort  to  go  through  all  this  chaos  of  learning,  to 
find  the  one  volume  which  he  needs!  This  illustration 
points  the  prime  necessity  of  classification  of  some  kind, 
before  a  collection  of  books  can  be  used  in  an  available  way. 

Then  comes  in  the  skilled  bibliographer,  to  convert  this 
chaos  into  a  cosmos,  to  illumine  this  darkness  with  the  light 
of  science.  He  distributes  the  whole  mass,  volume  by 
volume,  into  a  few  great  distinct  classes ;  he  creates  families 
or  sub-divisions  in  every  class;  he  assembles  together  in 
groups  all  that  treat  of  the  same  subject,  or  any  of  its 
branches;  and  thus  the  entire  scattered  multitude  of  vol- 
umes is  at  length  coordinated  into  a  clear  and  systematic 
collection,  ready  for  use  in  every  department.  A  great  li- 
brary is  like  a  great  army :  when  unorganized,  your  army 
is  a  mere  undisciplined  mob:  but  divide  and  sub-divide  it 
into  army  corps,  divisions,  brigades,  regiments,  and  com- 
panies, and  you  can  put  your  finger  upon  every  man. 

To  make  this  complete  organization  of  a  library  success- 
ful, one  must  have  an  organising  mind,  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance with  literature,  history,  and  the  outlines,  at  least,  of 


CLASSIFICATION.  367 

all  the  sciences;  a  knowledge  of  the  ancient  and  of  various 
modern  languages;  a  quick  intuition,  a  ripe  judgment,  a 
cultivated  taste,  a  retentive  memory,  and  a  patience  and 
perseverance  that  are  inexhaustible. 

Even  were  all  these  qualities  possessed,  there  will  be  in 
the  arrangement  elements  of  discord  and  of  failure.  A 
multitude  of  uncertain  points  in  classification,  and  many 
exceptions  will  arise;  and  these  must  of  necessity  be  settled 
arbitrarily.  The  more  conversant  one  becomes  with  sys- 
tems of  classification,  when  reduced  to  practice,  the  more 
he  becomes  assured  that  a  perfect  bibliographical  system  is 
impossible. 

Every  system  of  classification  must  find  its  application 
fraught  with  doubts,  complications,  and  difficulties;  but 
the  wise  bibliographer  will  not  pause  in  his  work  to  resolve 
all  these  insoluble  problems;  he  will  classify  the  book  in 
hand  according  to  his  best  judgment  at  the  moment  it 
comes  before  him.  He  can  no  more  afford  to  spend  time 
over  intricate  questions  of  the  preponderance  of  this,  that, 
or  the  other  subject  in  a  book,  than  a  man  about  to  walk 
to  a  certain  place  can  afford  to  debate  whether  he  shall  put 
his  right  foot  forward  or  his  left.  The  one  thing  needful 
is  to  go  forward. 

Referring  to  the  chapter  on  bibliography  for  other  do- 
tails,  I  may  here  say  that  the  French  claim  to  have  reached 
a  highly  practical  system  of  classification  in  that  set  forth 
in  J.  C.  Brunei's  Manuel  du  Libraire.  This  is  now  gener- 
ally used  in  the  arrangement  of  collections  of  books  in 
France,  with  some  modifications,  and  the  book  trade  find 
it  so  well  adapted  to  their  wants,  that  classified  sale  and 
auction  catalogues  are  mostly  arranged  on  that  system. 
Tt  has  only  five  grand  divisions:  Theology,  Law,  Arts 
and  Sciences,  Belles-lettres,  and  History.  Each  of  these 
classes  has  numerous  sub-divisions.     For  oxami)lo,  goog- 


368  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

raphy  and  voyages  and  travels  form  a  division  of  history, 
between  the  philosophy  of  history  and  chronology,  etc. 

The  classification  in  use  in  the  Bihliotheque  nationale  of 
France  places  Theology  first,  followed  by  Law,  History, 
Philosophy  and  Belles-lettres.  The  grand  division  of  Phil- 
osophy inchules  all  which  is  classified  under  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences in  the  system  of  Brunet. 

In  the  Library  of  the  British  Museum  the  classification 
starts  with  Theology,  followed  by  2.  Jurisprudence;  3. 
Natural  History  (including  Botany,  Geology,  Zoology, 
and  Medicine);  4.  Art  (including  Archaeology,  Fine  Arts, 
Architecture,  Music,  and  Useful  Arts) ;  5.  Philosophy  (in- 
cluding Politics,  Economics,  Sociology,  Education,  Ethics, 
Metaphysics,  Mathematics,  Military  and  Naval  Science, 
and  Chemistry;  6.  History  (including  Heraldry  and  Gene- 
alogy); 7.  Geography  (including  Ethnology);  8.  Biography 
(including  Epistles);  9.  Belles-lettres  (including  Poetry, 
Drama,  Rhetoric,  Criticism,  Bibliography,  Collected 
Works,  Encyclopaedias,  Speeches,  Proverbs,  Anecdotes, 
Satirical  and  facetious  works,  Essays,  Folklore  and  Fic- 
tion); 10.  Philology. 

Sub-divisions  by  countries  are  introduced  in  nearly  all 
the  classes. 

In  the  Library  of  Congress  the  classification  was  origi- 
nally based  upon  Lord  Bacon's  scheme  for  the  division  of 
knowledge  into  three  great  classes,  according  to  the  faculty 
of  the  mind  employed  in  each.  1.  History  (based  upon 
memory);  2.  Philosophy  (based  upon  reason);  3.  Poetry 
(based  upon  imagination).  This  scheme  was  much  better 
adapted  to  a  classification  of  ideas  than  of  books.  Its  fail- 
ure to  answer  the  ends  of  a  practical  classification  of  the 
library  led  to  radical  modifications  of  the  plan,  as  applied 
to  the  books  on  the  shelves,  for  reasons  of  logical  arrange- 


CLASSIFICATION.  369 

ment,  as  well  as  of  convenience.  A  more  thorough  and 
systematic  re-arrangement  is  now  in  progress. 

Mr.  C.  A.  Cutter  has  devised  a  system  of  "Expansive 
classification/'  now  widely  used  in  American  libraries.  In 
this,  the  classes  are  each  indicated  by  a  single  letter,  fol- 
lowed by  numbers  representing  divisions  by  countries,  and 
these  in  turn  by  letters  indicating  sub-divisions  by  subjects, 
etc.  It  is  claimed  that  this  method  is  not  a  rigid  unchange- 
able system,  but  adaptable  in  a  high  degree,  and  capable  of 
modification  to  suit  the  special  wants  of  any  library.  In 
it  the  whole  range  of  literature  and  science  is  divided  into 
several  grand  classes,  which,  with  their  sub-classes,  are  in- 
dicated by  the  twenty-six  letters  of  the  alphabet.  Thus 
Class  A  embraces  Generalia;  B  to  D,  Spiritual  sciences  (in- 
cluding philosophy  and  religion);  E  to  G,  Historical  sci- 
ences (including,  besides  history  and  biography,  geography 
and  travels) ;  H  to  K,  Social  sciences  (including  law  and  po- 
litical science  and  economics);  L  to  P,  Natural  sciences; 
Q,  Medicine;  and  R  to  Z,  Arts  (including  not  only  mechan- 
ical, recreative  and  fine  arts,  but  music,  languages,  litera- 
ture, and  bibliography). 

The  sub-divisions  of  these  principal  classes  are  arranged 
with  progressive  fullness,  to  suit  smaller  or  larger  libraries. 
Thus,  the  first  classification  provides  only  eleven  classes, 
suited  to  very  small  li1)raries:  tlie  second  is  expanded  to 
fifteen  classes,  the  third  to  thirty  classes,  and  so  on  up  to 
tlie  seventh  or  final  one,  designed  to  provide  for  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  very  largest  lil)raries. 

This  is  the  most  elaborate  and  far-reaching  library  clas- 
sification yet  put  forth,  claiming  superior  clearness,  flexi- 
bility, brevity  of  notation,  logical  coordination,  etc.,  wliile 
objections  have  been  freely  made  to  it  on  the  score  of 
over-refinement  and  aiming  at  the  unattainable. 

Wliat  is  known  as  tlie  decimal  or  tlu;  Dewey  system  of 


370  A   BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

classification  -was  originally  suggested  by  Mr.  N.  B.  Shurt- 
leff's  "Decimal  system  for  the  arrangement  and  administra- 
tion of  libraries/'  published  at  Boston  in  1856.  But  in  its 
present  form  it  has  been  developed  by  Mr.  Melvil  Dewey 
into  a  most  ingenious  scheme  for  distributing  the  whole 
vast  range  of  human  knowledge  into  ten  classes,  marked 
from  0  to  9,  each  of  which  sub-divides  into  exactly  ten  sub- 
classes, all  divisible  in  their  turn  into  ten  minor  divisions, 
and  so  on  until  the  material  in  hand,  or  the  ingenuity  of 
the  classifier  is  exhausted.  The  notation  of  the  books  on 
the  shelves  corresponds  to  these  divisions  and  sub-divisions. 
The  claims  of  this  system,  which  has  been  quite  extensively 
followed  in  the  smaller  American  libraries,  and  in  many 
European  ones,  are  economy,  simplicity,  brevity  of  nota- 
tion, expansibOitv,  unchanging  call-numbers,  etc.  It  has 
been  criticised  as  too  mechanical,  as  illogical  in  arrange- 
ment of  classes,  as  presenting  many  incongruities  in  its 
divisions,  as  procrustean,  as  wholly  inadequate  in  its  clas- 
sification of  jurisprudence,  etc.  It  is  partially  used  by 
librarians  who  have  had  to  introduce  radical  changes  in 
portions  of  the  classification,  and  in  fact  it  is  understood 
that  the  classification  has  been  very  largely  made  over  both 
in  Amherst  College  library  and  in  that  of  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, N.  Y.,  where  it  was  fully  established. 

This  only  adds  to  the  cumulative  proofs  that  library 
classification  cannot  be  made  an  exact  science,  but  is  in  its 
nature  indefinitely  progressive  and  improvable.  Its  main 
object  is  not  to  classify  knowledge,  but  books.  There  be- 
ing multitudes  of  books  that  do  not  belong  absolutely  to 
any  one  class,  all  classification  of  them  is  necessarily  a  com- 
promise. Nearly  all  the  classification  schemers  have  made 
over  their  schemes — some  of  them  many  times.  I  am  not 
arguing  against  classification,  which  is  essential  to  the 
practical  utility  of  any  library.     An  imperfect  classifica- 


CLASSIFICATION.  371 

tion  is  much  better  than  none:  but  the  tendency  to  erect 
classification  into  a  fetish,  and  to  lay  down  cast-iron  rules 
for  it,  should  be  guarded  against.  In  any  library,  reasons 
of  convenience  must  often  prevail  over  logical  arrange- 
ment; and  he  who  spends  time  due  to  prompt  library  ser- 
vice in  worrying  over  errors  in  a  catalogue,  or  vexing  his 
soul  at  a  faulty  classification,  is  as  mistaken  as  those  fussy 
individuals  who  fancy  that  they  are  personally  responsible 
for  the  obliquity  of  the  earth's  axis. 

It  may  be  added  that  in  the  American  Library  Associa- 
tion's Catalogue  of  5,000  books  for  a  popular  library,  Wash- 
ington, 1893,  the  classification  is  given  both  on  the  Dewey 
(Decimal)  system,  and  on  the  Cutter  expansive  system,  so 
that  all  may  take  their  choice. 

The  fixed  location  system  of  arrangement,  by  which 
every  book  is  assigned  by  its  number  to  one  definite  shelf, 
is  objectionable  as  preventing  accessions  from  being  placed 
witli  their  cognate  books.  This  is  of  sucli  cardinal  import- 
ance in  every  library,  that  a  more  elastic  system  of  some 
kind  should  be  adopted,  to  save  continual  re-numbering. 
No  system  which  makes  mere  -arithmetical  progression  a 
substitute  for  intrinsic  qualities  can  long  prove  satis- 
factory. 

The  relative  or  movable  location  on  shelves  is  now  more 
generally  adopted  than  the  old  plan  of  numbering  every 
shelf  and  assigning  a  fixed  location  to  every  volume  on 
that  shelf.  The  book-marks,  if  designating  simply  the 
relative  order  of  the  volumes,  permit  tlie  books  to  be 
moved  along,  as  accessions  come  in,  from  shelf  to  shelf,  as 
the  latter  become  crowded.  This  does  not  derange  the 
numbers,  since  the  order  of  succession  is  observed. 

For  small  town  libraries  no  elaborate  system  of  classi- 
fication can  properly  bo  attemj'ted.  Here,  tlie  most  con- 
venient grouping  is  apt  to  prove  the  best,  because  l)ooks 


372  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

are  most  readily  found  by  it.  Mr.  W.  I.  Fletcher  has  out- 
lined a  scheme  for  libraries  of  10,000  volumes  or  less,  as 
follows : 

A.  Fiction  (appended,  J.  Juvenile  books) ;  B.  English  and 
American  literature;  C.  History;  D.  Biography;  E.  Trav- 
els; F.  Science;  G.  Useful  arts;  H.  Fine  and  recreative  arts; 
I.  Political  and  social  science;  K.  Philosophy  and  religion; 
L.  Works  on  language  and  in  foreign  languages;  K.  Eef- 
erence  books. 

Numerous  sub-divisions  would  be  required  to  make  such 
a  scheme  (or  indeed  any  other)  fit  any  collection  of  books. 

In  arranging  the  main  classes,  care  should  be  taken  to 
bring  those  most  drawn  upon  near  to  the  delivery  desk,  or 
charging  system  of  the  library. 

The  alphabet  is  usefully  applied  in  the  arrangement  of 
several  of  the  great  classes  of  books,  and  in  many  sub-di- 
visions of  other  classes.  Thus,  all  English  and  American 
fiction  may  be  arranged  in  a  single  alphabet  of  authors,  in- 
cluding English  translations  of  foreign  works.  All  col- 
lected works,  or  polygraph}',  may  form  an  alphabet,  as 
well  as  poetry,  dramatic  works,  collections  of  letters,  and 
miscellanea,  arranged  by  authors'  names.  In  any  of  these 
classes,  sub-divisions  by  languages  may  be  made,  if  desired. 

The  class  biography  may  best  be  arranged  in  an  alpha- 
bet of  the  subjects  of  the  biographies,  rather  than  of  writ- 
ers, for  obvious  reasons  of  convenience  in  finding  at  once 
the  books  about  each  person. 


CHAPTER  22. 

Catalogues. 

Catalogues  of  libraries  are  useful  to  readers  in  direct 
proportion  to  their  fulfilment  of  three  conditions:  (1) 
(^uick  and  ready  reference.  (.2)  Arranging  all  authors' 
names  in  an  alphabet,  followed  by  titles  of  their  works. 
(3)  Subjects  or  titles  in  their  alphabetical  order  in  the 
same  alphabet  as  the  authors.  This  is  what  is  known  as  a 
"Dictionary  catalogue";  but  why  is  it  preferable  to  any 
other?  Because  it  answers  more  questions  in  less  time 
than  any  other. 

The  more  prevalent  styles  of  catalogues  have  been,  1.  A 
list  of  authors,  with  titles  of  their  works  under  each.  2. 
A  catalogue  of  subjects,  in  a  classified  topical  or  alphabet- 
ical order,  the  authors  and  their  works  being  grouped  un- 
der each  head.  3.  A  catalogue  attempting  to  combine 
these  two,  by  appending  to  the  author-catalogue  a  classed 
list  of  subjects,  with  a  brief  of  authors  under  each,  refer- 
ring to  the  page  on  which  the  titles  of  their  works  may  be 
found;  or  else,  4.  Appending  to  the  subject-catalogue  an 
alphabet  of  authors,  with  similar  references  to  pages  under 
subjects. 

Each  of  these  methods  of  catalogue-making,  while  very 
useful,  contrives  to  miss  the  highest  utility,  which  lies  in 
enabling  the  reader  to  put  his  finger  on  the  book  he  wants, 
at  one  glance  of  the  eye.  The  catalogue  of  authors  will 
not  help  him  to  subjects,  nor  will  the  catalogue  of  sub- 
jects, as  a  rule,  give  the  autliors  and  titles  with  the  full- 
ness that  may  be  needed.  In  either  case,  a  dou])le  refer- 
ence becomes  necessary,  consuming  just  twice  the  time, 

(.{73) 


374  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

and  in  a  two-column  catalogue,  three  times  the  time  re- 
quired in  a  dictionary  catalogue. 

The  reader  who  wants  Darwin's  "Origin  of  Species''  finds 
it  readily  enough  by  the  author-catalogue;  but  he  wants, 
at  the  same  time,  to  find  other  works  on  the  same  subject, 
and  all  the  author-catalogues  in  the  world  will  not  help 
him  to  them.  But  give  him  a  dictionary  catalogue,  and 
he  has,  in  the  same  alphabet  with  his  Darwin,  (if  the 
library  is  large)  dozens  of  books  discussing  the  theory  of 
that  great  naturalist,  under  species,  evolution,  Darwinism, 
etc. 

Thus  he  finds  that  there  is  no  key  which  so  quickly  un- 
locks the  stores  of  knowledge  which  a  library  contains,  as 
a  dictionary  catalogue. 

The  objections  to  it  are  chiefly  brought  by  minds  school- 
ed in  systems,  who  look  askance  on  all  innovations,  and  in- 
stinctively prefer  round-about  methods  to  short -hand  ones. 

Ask  such  an.  objector  if  he  would  prefer  his  dictionary 
of  the  English  language  arranged,  not  alphabetically,  but 
subjectively,  so  that  all  medical  terms  should  be  defined 
only  under  medicine,  all  species  of  fish  described  only  un- 
der fishes,  etc.,  and  he  will  probably  say  that  there  is  no 
analogy  in  the  case.  But  the  analogy  becomes  apparent 
when  we  find,  in  what  are  called  systematic  catalogues,  no 
two  systems  alike,  and  the  finding  of  books  complicated  by 
endless  varieties  of  classification,  with  no  common  alpha- 
bet to  simplify  the  search.  The  authors  of  systems  doubt- 
less understand  them  themselves,  but  no  one  else  does,  un- 
til he  devotes  time  to  learn  the  key  to  them;  and  even 
when  learned,  the  knowledge  is  not  worth  the  time  lost  in 
acquiring  it,  since  the  field  covered  in  any  one  catalogue 
is  so  small.  Alphabetical  arrangement,  on  the  other  hand, 
strictly  adhered  to,  is  a  universal  key  to  the  authors  and 
subjects  and  titles  of  all  the  books  contained  in  the  library 


CATALOGUES.  375 

it  represents.  The  devotee  of  a  bibliographical  system 
may  be  as  mistaken  as  the  slave  of  a  scientific  terminology. 
He  forgets  that  bibliography  is  not  a  school  for  teaching 
all  departments  of  knowledge,  but-a  brief  and  handy  index 
to  books  that  may  contain  that  knowledge.  A  student 
who  has  once  made  a  thorough  comparative  test  of  the 
merits,  as  aids  to  wide  and  rapid  research,  of  the  old-fash- 
ioned bibliographies  and  the  best  modern  dictionary  cata- 
logues, will  no  more  deny  the  superiority  of  the  latter, 
than  he  will  contest  the  maxim  that  a  straight  line  is  the 
nearest  road  between  two  points.  Meantime,  "while  doc- 
tors disagree,  disciples  are  free;"  and  the  disciples  who 
would  follow  the  latest  guides  in  the  art  '^low  to  make  and 
use  a  catalogite,"  must  get  rid  of  many  formulas. 

The  reader  will  find  in  the  chapter  on  bibliography, 
notes  on  some  classes  of  catalogues,  with  the  more  notable 
examples  of  them.  We  are  here  concerned  with  the  true 
method  of  preparing  catalogues,  and  such  plain  rules  as 
brevity  will  permit  to  be  given,  will  be  equally  adapted  to 
private  or  public  libraries.  For  more  ample  treatment, 
with  reasons  for  and  against  many  rules  laid  down,  refer- 
ence is  made  to  the  able  and  acute  work,  "Rules  for  a  Dic- 
tionary Catalogue,"  by  C.  A.  Cutter,  published  by  the  U. 
S.  P.u rcau  of  Education,  3d  ed.  1891. 

CONDENSED  RULES  FOR  AN  AUTHOR  AND  TIl'Li: 
CATALOGUE. 

I'll  pan  d  by  the  Co-operation  Committee  of  the  Amiriraii  Lihraiu 
Association. 

KNTRY. 

Books  are  to  be  entered  under  tlie: 

Surnames  of  authors  when  ascertained,  the  abbreviation 
^^Anon."  being  added  to  the  titles  of  anonymous  works. 

Initials  of  authors'  names  when  these  only  are  known, 
the  last  initial  being-  put  first. 


376  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

Pseudonj'ms  of  the  writers  when  the  real  names  are  not 
ascertained. 

Names  of  editors  of  collections,  each  separate  item  to  be  at 
the  same  time  sufficiently  catalogued  under  its  own  heading. 

Names  of  countries,  cities,  societies,  or  other  bodies  which 
are  responsible  for  their  publication. 

First  word  (not  an  article  or  serial  number)  of  the  titles 
of  periodicals  and  of  anonymous  books,  the  names  of  whose 
authors  are  not  known.  And  a  motto  or  the  designation  of  a 
series  may  be  neglected  when  it  begins  a  title,  and  the  entry 
may  be  made  under  the  first  word  of  the  real  title  following. 

Commentaries  accompanying  a  text,  and  translations,  are 
to  be  entered  under  the  heading  of  the  original  work;  but 
commentaries  without  the  text  under  the  name  of  the  com- 
mentator. A  book  entitled  "Commentary  on  ...."  and  con- 
taining the  text,  should  be  put  under  both. 

The  Bible,  or  any  part  of  it  (including  the  Apocrypha),  in 
any  language,  is  to  be  entered  under  the  word  Bible. 

The  Talmud  and  Koran  (and  parts  of  them)  are  to  be  en- 
tered under  those  w-ords;  the  sacred  books  of  other  religions 
are  to  be  entered  under  the  names  by  which  they  are  gen- 
erally known;  references  to  be  given  from  the  names  of 
editors,  translators,  etc. 

The  respondent  or  defender  of  an  academical  thesis  is  to  be 
considered  as  the  author,  unless  the  work  unequivocally  ap- 
pears to  be  the  w-ork  of  the  praises. 

Books  having  more  than  one  author  to  be  entered  under 
the  one  first  named  in  the  title,  with  a  reference  from  each 
of  the  others. 

Keports  of  civil  actions  are  to  be  entered  under  the  name 
of  the  party  to  the  suit  which  stands  first  on  the  title  page. 
Reports  of  crown  and  criminal  proceedings  are  to  be  entered 
under  the  name  of  the  defendant.  Admiralty  proceedings 
relating  to  vessels  are  to  be  put  under  the  name  of  the  vessel. 

Noblemen  are  to  be  entered  under  their  titles,  unless  the 
family  name  is  decidedly  better  known. 

Ecclesiastical  dignitaries,  unless  popes  or  sovereigns,  are 
to  be  entered  under  their  surnames. 

Sovereigns  (other  than  Greek  or  Roman),  ruling  princes. 
Oriental  writers,    popes,    friars,    persons   canonized,    and    all 


CATALOGUES.  377 

other  persons  known  only  by  their  first  name,  are  to  be  enter- 
ed under  this  first  name. 

Married  women,  and  other  persons  Avho  have  changed  their 
names,  are  to  be  put  under  the  last  well-known  form. 

A  pseudonym  may  be  used  instead  of  the  surname  (and 
only  a  reference  to  the  pseudonym  made  under  the  surname) 
when  an  author  is  much  more  known  by  his  false  than  by  his 
real  name.    In  case  of  doubt,  use  the  real  name. 

A  society  is  to  be  entered  under  the  first  word,  not  an 
article,  of  its  corporate  name,  "nith  references  from  any  other 
name  by  which  it  is  known,  especially  from  the  name  of  the 
place  where  its  headquarters  are  established,  if  it  is  often 
called  by  that  name. 

References. 

When  an  author  has  been  known  by  more  than  one  name, 
references  should  be  inserted  from  the  name  or  names  not 
to  be  used  as  headings  to  the  one  used. 

Keferences  are  also  to  be  made  to  the  headings  chosen: 
from  the  titles  of  all  novels  and  plays,  and  of  poems  likely 

to  be  asked  for  by  their  titles; 
from  other  striking  titles; 
from  noticeable  words  in   anonymous  titles,  especially  from 

the  names  of  subjects  of  anonymous  biographies; 
from  the  names  of  editors  of  periodicals,  when  the  periodicals 

are  generally  called  by  the  editor's  name; 
from   the  names  of  important  translators    (especially   poetic 

translators)  and  commentators; 
from  the  title  of  an  ecclesiastical  dignitary,  when  that,  and 

not  the  family  name,  is  used  in  the  book  catalogued; 
and  in  other  cases  where  a  reference  is  needed  to  insure  the 

ready  finding  of  the  book. 

Headings. 

In  the  heading  of  titles,  the  names  of  authors  are  to  be 
given  in  full,  and  in  their  vernacular  form,  except  that  the 
T-atin  form  may  be  used  when  it  is  more  generally  known, 
the  vernacular  form  being  added  in  parentheses;  except, 
nlso,  that  sovereigns  and  popes  may  be  given  in  the  English 
form. 

Englisli  and  French  surnames  beginning  with  a  prefix  (ox- 
cej)t  the  French  de  and  d')  are  to  be  recf)rded  under  the 
prefix;   in  other  languages  under  the  word   following. 


378  A    BOOK   FOR    ALL    READERS. 

English  compound  surnames  are  to  be  entered  under  the 
last  part  of  the  name;  foreign  ones  under  the  first  part. 

Designations  are  to  be  added  to  distinguish  writers  of 
the  same  name  from  each  other. 

Prefixes  indicating  the  rank  or  profession  of  writers  may 
be  added  in  the  heading,  when  they  are  part  of  the  usual 
designation  of  the  writers. 

Names  of  places  to  be  given  in  the  English  form.  When 
both  an  English  and  a  vernacular  form  are  used  in  English 
works,  prefer  the  vernacular. 

Titles. 

The  title  is  to  be  an  exact  transcrijit  of  the  title-page, 
neither  amended,  translated,  nor  in  any  way  altered,  except 
that  mottos,  titles  of  authors,  repetitions,  and  matter  of 
any  kind  Bot  essential,  are  to  be  omitted.  Where  great  ac- 
curacy is  desirable,  omissions  are  to  be  indicated  by  three 
dots  (...).  The  titles  of  books  especially  valuable  for  an- 
tiquity or  rarity  may  be  given  in  full,  with  all  practicable 
precision.  The  phraseology  and  spelling,  but  not  necessarily 
the  punctuation,  of  the  title  are  to  be  exactly  copied. 

Any  additions  needed  to  make  the  title  clear  are  to  be  sup- 
plied, and  inclosed  by  brackets. 

Initial  capitals  are  to  be  given  in  English: 
to    proper   names    of   persons     and    personifications,    places, 

bodies,  noted  events,  and  periods   (each  separate  word  not 

an  article,  conjunction,  or  preposition,  may  be  capitalized 

in  these  cases) ; 
to  adjectives  and  other  derivatives  from  proper  names  when 

they  have  a  direct  reference  to  the  person,  place,  etc.,  from 

which  they  are  derived; 
to  the  first  word  of  every  sentence  and  of  every  quoted  title; 
to  titles  of  honor  w^hen  standing  instead  of  a  proper  name 

(e.  g.,  the  Earl  of  Derby,  but  John  Stanley,  earl  of  Derby) ; 
In  foreign  languages,  according  to  the  local  usage; 
In  doubtful  cases  capitals  are  to  be  avoided. 

Foreign  languages. — Titles  in  foreign  characters  may  be 
transliterated.  The  languages  in  which  a  book  is  MTitten  are 
to  be  stated  when  there  are  several,  and  the  fact  is  not  appar- 
ent from  the  title. 


CATALOGUES.  379 

Impkints. 

After  the  title  are  to  be  given,  in  the  following  order,  those 
in    [     ]    being  optional: 

the  edition;  • 

the  place  of  publication; 
[and  the  publisher's  name]    (these  three  in  the  language  of 

the  title); 
the  year  as  given  on  the  title-page,  but  in  Arabic  figures; 
[the  jear  of  copyright  or  actual  publication,  if  known  to  be 

different  in  brackets,  and  preceded  hy  c.  or  p.  as  the  case 

may  be]; 
the   number   of   volumes,   or   of    pages    if   there    is    onlj'^   one 

volume; 
[the  number  of  maps,  portraits,  or  illustrations  not  included 

in  the  text] ; 
and  either  the  approximate  size  designated  by  letter,  or  the 

exact  size  in  centimeters; 
the  name  of  the  series  to  which  the  book  belongs  is  to  be 

given  in  parentheses  after  the  other  imprint  entries. 

After  the  place  of  publication,  the  place  of  printing  may 
be  given  if  different.  This  is  desirable  only  in  rare  and  old 
books. 

The  number  of  pages  is  to  be  indicated  by  giving  the  last 
number  of  each  paging,  connecting  the  numbers  by  the  sign 
-j-;  the  addition  of  unpaged  matter  may  be  shown  by  a  -|-» 
or  the  number  of  pages  ascertained  by  counting  may  be 
given  in  brackets.  When  there  are  more  than  three  pagings, 
it  is  better  to  add  them  together  and  give  the  sum  in  brack- 
ets. 

These  imprint  entries  are  to  give  the  facts,  whether  ascer- 
tained from  the  book  or  from  other  sources;  those  which 
are  usually  taken  from  the  title  (edition,  place,  publisher's 
name,  and  series)  should  be  in  the  language  of  the  title,  cor- 
rections and  additions  being  inclosed  in  brackets.  It  is  bet- 
ter to  give  the  words,  "maps,"  "portraits,"  etc.,  and  the 
abbreviations  for  "volumes"  and  "pages,"  in  Engli.sh. 

Contents,  Notes. 
Notes  (in  English)  and  contents  of  volumes  are  to  be  given 
when  necessary  to  properly  describe  tlic  works.     Both  notes 
and  lists  of  contents  to  be  in  a  smaller  type. 


380  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

Miscellaneous. 

A  single  dash  or  indent  indicates  the  omission  of  the  pre- 
ceding heading;  a  subsequent  dash  or  indent  indicates  the 
omission  of  a  subordinate  heading,  or  of  a  title. 

A  dash  connecting  numbers  signifies  to  and  including;  fol- 
lowing a  number  it  signifies  continuation. 

A  ?  following  a  word  or  entry  signifies  probably. 

Brackets  inclose  words  added  to  titles  or  imprints,  or 
changed  in  form. 

Arabic  figures  are  to  be  used  rather  than  Roman;  but  small 
capitals  may  be  used  after  the  names  of  sovereigns,  princes, 
and  popes. 

A  list  of  abbreviations  to  be  used  was  given  in  the  Library 
journal,  Vol.  3:   16-20. 

Arrangement. 

The  surname  when  used  alone  precedes  the  same  name 
used  with  forenames;  where  the  initials  only  of  the  fore- 
names are  given,  they  are  to  precede  fully  wTitten  forenames 
beginning  with  the  same  initials  (e.  g.,  Brown,  Brown,  J.; 
Brown,  J.  L.;   Brown,  James), 

The  prefixes  M  and  ISIc,  S.,  St.,  Ste.,  Messrs.,  Mr.,  and  Mrs., 
are  to  be  arranged  as  if  written  in  full,  Mac,  Sanctus,  Saint, 
Sainte,  Messieurs,  Mister,  and  Mistress. 

The  works  of  an  author  are  to  be  arranged  in  the  following 
order: 

1.  Collected  works. 

2.  Partial  collections. 

3.  Single  works,  alphabetically,  by  the  first  word  of  the 
title. 

The  order  of  alphabeting  is  to  be  that  of  the  English  al- 
phabet. 

The  German  ae,  oe,  ue,  are  always  to  be  written  as  a,  o,  ii, 
and  arranged  as  a,  o,  u. 

Names  of  persons  are  to  precede  similar  names  of  places, 
which  in  turn  precede  similar  first  words  of  titles. 

A  few  desirable  modifications  or  additions  to  these  rules 
may  be  suggested. 

1.  In  title-entries,  let  the  year  of  publication  stand  last, 
instead  of  the  indication  of  size. 


CATALOGUES.  381 

2.  Noblemen  to  be  entered  under  their  family  names, 
with  reference  from  their  titles. 

3.  Instead  of  designations  of  title,  profession,  residence, 
or  family,  to  distinguish  authors,  let  every  name  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  chronolog}%  as — 

James  (Henry)  1811-82. 

James  (Henry)  1843- 
It  is  highly  desirable  to  give  this  information  as  to  the 
author's  period  in  every  title-heading,  without  exception, 
when  ascertainable.     If  unknown,  the  approximate  period 
to  be  given,  with  a  query. 

4.  All  titles  to  be  written  in  small  letters,  and  printed 
in  lower  case,  whether  in  English,  German,  or  any  other 
language,  avoiding  capitals  except  in  cases  named  in  the 
rule. 

5.  Works  without  date,  when  the  exact  date  is  not 
found,  are  to  be  described  conjecturally,  thus: 

[1690?]  or  [about  1840.] 

6.  In  expressing  collations,  use  commas  rather  than  the 
sign  +  between  the  pagings,  as — xvi,  452,  vii  pp. — not 
xvi-|-452-f-vii  pp. 

7.  Forenames  should  be  separated  from  the  surnames 
which  precede  them  by  parenthesis  rather  than  commas, 
as  a  clearer  discrimination :  as — 

Alembert  (Jean  Baptiste  le  Rond  d') — not 

Alembert,  Jean  Baptiste  le  Rond  d'. 
The  printed  catalogue  of  the  British  Museum  Library 
follows  this  method,  as  well  as  that  in  the  preceding  para- 
graph. 

8.  All  books  of  history,  travels,  or  voyages  to  have  the 
period  covered  by  them  inserted  in  brackets,  when  not  ex- 
pressed in  the  title-page. 

9.  All  collected  works  of  authors,  and  all  librario«  or 
collections  of  different  works  to  be  analysed  by  giving  the 


382 


A    BOOK    rOIt    ALL    T^KADEUS. 


contents  of  each  volume,  either  in  order  of  volumes,  or 
alphabetically  by  authors'  names. 

Of  course  there  are  multitudes  of  points  in  catalogue 
practice  not  provided  for  in  the  necessarily  brief  summary 
preceding:  and,  as  books  on  the  art  abound,  the  writer 
gives  only  such  space  to  it  as  justice  to  the  wide  range  of 
library  topics  here  treated  permits. 

Probably  the  most  important  question  in  preparing  cata- 
logue titles,  is  what  space  to  give  to  the  author's  frequent- 
ly long-drawn-out  verbiage  in  his  title-page.  There  are 
two  extremes  to  be  considered :  (1)  Copying  the  title  liter- 
ally and  in  full,  however  prolix;  and  (2)  reducing  all  title- 
pages,  by  a  Procrustean  rule,  to  what  we  may  call  "one- 
line  titles."     Take  an  example: 

"Jones  (Eichard  T.)  A  theoretical  and  practical  treatise 
on  the  benefits  of  agriculture  to  mankind.  With  an  appen- 
dix containing  many  useful  reflections  derived  from  prac- 
tical experience,  iv,  389  pp.  8°.  London,  MDCCXLIV." 
As  abridged  to  a  short  title,  this  would  read:  "Jones 
(Eichard  T.)  Benefits  of  agriculture,  iv,  389  pp.  8°.  Lond. 
1744."  Who  will  say  that  the  last  form  of  title  does 
not  convey  substantially  all  that  is  significant  of  the  book, 
stripped  of  superfluous  verbiage?  But  we  need  not  insist 
upon  titles  crowded  into  a  single  line  of  the  catalogue, 
whether  written  or  printed.  This  would  do  violence  to 
the  actual  scope  of  many  books,  by  suppressing  some  sig- 
nificant or  important  part  of  their  titles.  The  rule  should 
be  to  give  in  the  briefest  words  selected  out  of  the  title 
(never  imported  into  it)  the  essential  character  of  the 
book,  so  far  as  the  author  has  expressed  it.  Take  another 
example : 

"Bowman  (Thomas)  A  new,  easy,  and  complete  Hebrew 
course;  containing  a  Hebrew  grammar,  with  copious  He- 
brew and  English  exercises,  strictly  graduated:  also,  a  He- 


CATALOGUES.  383 

brew-English  and  English-Hebrew  lexicon.  In  two  parts. 
Part  I.    Regular  verbs.    Edinburgh,  1879." 

This  might  be  usefully  condensed  thus : 

Bowman,  (Thomas)  Hebrew  course:  grammar,  exercises, 
lexicon,  [&c.]     Part  I.    Regular  verbs.    Edinburgh,  1879. 

One  objection  brought  against  the  dictionary  catalogue 
is  that  it  widely  separates  subjects  that  belong  together. 
In  the  Boston  Athenaeum  catalogue,  for  example,  the 
topic  Banks  is  found  in  Vol.  1,  while  Money  is  in  Vol.  3; 
and  for  "Wages,  one  must  go  to  Vol.  5,  while  Labor  is  in 
Vol.  3.  But  there  are  two  valid  reasons  for  this.  First, 
the  reader  who  wants  to  know  about  banks  or  wages  may 
care  nothing  about  the  larger  topics  of  money  or  of  labor; 
and  secondly,  if  he  does  want  them,  he  is  sent  to  them  at 
once  by  cross-reference, where  they  belong  in  the  alphabet; 
whereas,  if  they  were  grouped  under  Political  Economy,  as 
in  classed  catalogues,  he  must  hunt  for  them  through  a 
maze  of  unrelated  books,  without  any  alphabet  at  all. 

It  is  often  forgotten  by  the  advocates  of  systematic  sub- 
ject catalogues  rather  than  alphabetical  ones,  that  cata- 
logues are  for  those  who  do  not  know,  more  than  for  those 
who  do.  The  order  of  the  alphabet  is  settled  and  familiar; 
but  no  classification  by  subjects  is  either  familiar  or  set- 
tled. Catalogues  should  aim  at  the  greatest  convenience 
of  the  greatest  number  of  readers. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  English  Catalogue  (tlie  one 
national  bibliography  of  the  current  literature  of  that 
country)  has  adopted,  since  1891,  the  dictionary  form  of 
recording  authors,  titles  and  subjects  in  one  alphabet,  dis- 
tinguishing authors'  names  by  antique  type.  It  is  hoped 
that  the  American  Catalogue,  an  indispensable  work  in 
all  libraries,  will  adopt  in  its  annual  and  quinquennial  is- 
sues the  time-saving  method  of  a  single  alphabet. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  the  dictionary  catalogue  possesses 


384  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

fully  all  the  advantages  in  educating  readers  that  the  best 
classed  catalogues  embody.  But  the  chief  end  of  cata- 
logues being  to  find  books  promptly,  rather  than  to  edu- 
cate readers,  the  fact  that  the  dictionary  catalogue,  though 
far  from  perfect,  comes  nearer  to  the  true  object  than  any 
other  system,  weighs  heavily  in  its  favor.  Edward  Ed- 
wards said — "Many  a  reader  has  spent  whole  days  in  book- 
hunting  [in  catalogues]  which  ought  to  have  been  spent 
in  book-reading.^'  It  is  to  save  this  wasted  time  that 
catalogues  should  aim. 

Nothing  can  be  easier  than  to  make  a  poor  catalogue, 
while  nothing  is  more  difficult  than  to  make  a  good  one. 
The  most  expert  French  bibliographers  who  have  distin- 
guished themselves  by  compiling  catalogues  have  been 
most  severely  criticised  by  writers  who  no  doubt  would 
have  been  victimized  in  their  turn  if  they  had  undertaken 
similar  work.     Byron  says 

"A  man  must  serve  his  time  to  every  trade, 
Save  censure; — critics  all  a-re  ready  made." 

When  De  Bure  and  Van  Praet,  most  accomplished  biblio- 
graphers, published  the  catalogue  of  the  precious  library 
of  the  duke  de  La  Valliere,  the  abbe  Eive  boasted  that  he 
had  discovered  a  blunder  in  every  one  of  the  five  thousand 
titles  of  their  catalogue.  Barbier  and  Brunet  have  both 
been  criticised  for  swarms  of  errors  in  the  earlier  editions 
of  their  famous  catalogues.  The  task  of  the  exact  cata- 
loguer is  full  of  difficulty,  constantly  renewed,  and  de- 
manding almost  encyclopaedic  knowledge,  and  incessant 
care  of  minute  particulars. 

The  liability  to  error  is  so  great  in  a  kind  of  work  which, 
more  than  almost  any  other,  demands  the  most  scrupul- 
ous accuracy,  lest  a  catalogue  should  record  a  book  with 
such  mistakes  as  to  completely  mislead  a  reader,  that  rules 
are    imperatively    necessary.     And    whatever    rules    are 


CATALOGUES.  385 

adopted,  a  rigid  adherence  to  them  is  no  less  essential,  to 
avoid  misapprehension  and  confusion.  A  singular  in- 
stance of  imperfect  and  misleading  catalogue  work  was  un- 
wittingly furnished  by  Mr.  J.  Payne  Collier,  a  noted  Eng- 
lish critic,  author,  and  librarian,  who  criticised  the  slow 
progress  of  the  British  Museum  catalogue,  saying  that  he 
could  himself  do  "twenty-five  titles  an  hour  without  trou- 
ble." His  twenty-five  titles  when  examined,  were  found 
to  contain  almost  every  possible  error  that  can  be  made  in 
cataloguing  books.  These  included  using  names  of  trans- 
lators or  editors  as  headings,  when  the  author's  name  was 
on  the  title-page;  omitting  christian  names  of  authors; 
omitting  to  specify  the  edition;  using  English  instead  of 
foreign  words  to  give  the  titles  of  foreign  books;  adopting 
titled  instead  of  family  names  for  authors  (which  would 
separate  Stanhope's  "England  under  Queen  Anne"  from 
the  same  writer's  "History  of  England,"  published  when 
he  was  Lord  Mahon);  errors  in  grammar,  etc.  These 
ridiculous  blunders  of  a  twenty-five-title-an-hour  man  e.x- 
emplify  the  maxim  "the  more  haste,  the  worse  speed,"  in 
catalogue-making. 

That  our  British  brethren  are  neither  adapted  nor  in- 
clined to  pose  as  exemplars  in  the  fine  art  of  cataloguing, 
we  need  only  cite  their  own  self-criticisms  to  prove.  Here 
are  two  confessions  found  in  two  authors  of  books  on  cata- 
logue-making, both  Englislimen.  Says  one:  "We  are  de- 
ficient in  good  bibliographies.  It  is  a  standing  disgrace 
to  the  country  that  we  have  no  complete  bibliograpliy  of 
English  authors,  much  less  of  English  literature  gener- 
ally." Says  another:  "The  English  are  a  supremely  illog- 
ical people.  The  disposition  to  irregularity  has  made 
English  bibliography,  or  work  on  catalogues,  a  by-word 
among  those  who  give  attention  to  these  matters." 

An  American  may  well  add,  "They  do  these  things  bet- 


386  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

ter  in  France  and  Germany/'  while  declining  to  claim  the 
meed  of  snperiorit}'  for  the  United  States. 

Too  much  prominence  should  not  be  given  to  place- 
numbers  in  library  catalogues.  The  tendency  to  substi- 
tute mere  numerical  signs  for  authors  and  subjects  has 
been  carried  so  far  in  some  libraries,  that  books  are  called 
for  and  charged  by  class-numbers  only,  instead  of  their 
distinctive  names.  An  English  librarian  testifies  that  as- 
sistants trained  in  such  libraries  are  generally  the  most 
ignorant  of  literature.  When  mechanical  or  mnemonieal 
signs  are  wholly  substituted  for  ideas  and  for  authors,  is  it 
any  wonder  that  persons  incessantly  using  them  become 
mechanical?  Let  catalogue  and  classification  go  hand  in 
hand  in  bringing  all  related  books  together,  and  library 
assistants  will  not  stunt  their  intellects  by  becoming  bond- 
slaves to  the  nine  digits,  nor  lose  the  power  of  thought 
and  reflection  by  never  growing  out  of  their  a  S  c's. 

There  are  two  forms  of  catalogue  not  here  discussed, 
which  are  adjuncts  to  the  library  catalogue  proper.  The 
accession  catalogue,  kept  in  a  large  volume,  records  the 
particulars  regarding  every  volume,  on  its  receipt  by  the 
library.  It  gives  author,  title,  date,  size,  binding,  whence 
acquired,  cost,  etc.,  and  assigns  it  an  accession  number, 
which  it  ever  after  retains.  The  shelf  catalogue  (or  shelf- 
list)  is  a  portable  one  divided  into  sections  representing 
the  cases  of  shelves  in  the  library.  It  gives  the  shelf  classi- 
fication number,  author,  brief  title  and  number  of  vol- 
umes of  each  book,  as  arranged  on  the  shelves;  thus  consti- 
tuting an  inventory  of  each  case,  or  stack,  throughout  the 
library. 

To  check  a  library  over  is  to  take  an  account  of  stock 
of  all  the  books  it  should  contain.  This  is  done  annually 
in  some  libraries,  and  the  deficiencies  reported.  All  libra- 
ries lose  some  books,  however  few,  and  these  losses  will  be 


CATALOGUES.  387 

small  or  great  according  to  the  care  exercised  and  the  safe- 
guards provided.  The  method  is  to  take  one  division  of 
the  library  at  a  time,  and  check  off  all  books  on  the  shelves 
by  their  numbers  on  the  shelf-list,  supplemented  by  care- 
ful examination  of  all  numbers  drawn  out,  or  at  binder}', 
or  in  other  parts  of  the  library.  Not  a  volume  should  be 
absent  unaccounted  for.  Those  found  missing  after  a  cer- 
tain time  should  be  noted  on  the  shelf-list  and  accession 
book,  and  replaced,  if  important,  after  the  loss  is  definitely 
assured. 

The  reason  for  writing  and  printing  all  catalogue  titles 
in  small  letters,  without  capitals  (except  for  proper  names) 
is  two-fold.  First,  there  can  be  no  standard  prescribing 
what  words  should  or  should  not  be  capitalized,  and  the 
cataloguer  will  be  constantly  at  a  loss,  or  will  use  capitals 
in  the  most  unprincipled  way.  He  will  write  one  day, 
perhaps,  "The  Dangers  of  great  Cities,"  and  the  next, 
"The  dangers  of  Great  cities" — with  no  controlling  reason 
for  either  form.  Secondly,  the  symmetry  of  a  title  or  a 
sentence,  whether  written  or  printed,  is  best  attained  by 
the  uniform  exclusion  of  capitals.  That  this  should  be 
applied  to  all  languages,  notwitlistanding  the  habit  of 
most  German  typographers  of  printing  all  nouns  with 
capitals,  is  borne  out  by  no  less  an  authority  than  the  new 
Grimm's  Deutschcs  Worterhuch,  which  prints  all  words  in 
"lower  case"  type  except  proper  names.  Nothing  can  be 
more  unsightly  than  the  constant  breaking  up  of  the  har- 
mony of  a  line  by  the  capricious  use  of  capitals. 

To  discriminate  carefully  the  various  editions  of  each 
work  is  part  of  tlic  necessary  duty  of  the  cataloguer.  Many 
])ooks  have  passed  through  several  editions,  and  as  these 
;irc  ])}'  MO  means  always  specified  on  the  title-page,  one 
should  establish  the  sequence,  if  possible,  by  other  means. 
The  first  edition  is  one  which  includes  all  copies  printed 


388  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

from  the  plates  or  the  type  as  first  set;  the  second,  one 
which  is  reprinted,  with  or  without  changes  in  the  text 
or  the  title.  First  editions  often  acquire  a  greatly  en- 
hanced value,  in  the  case  of  a  noted  author,  by  reason  of 
changes  made  in  the  text  in  later  issues  of  the  work.  For 
though  the  latest  revision  may  and  should  be  the  author's 
best  improved  expression,  his  earliest  furnishes  food  for 
the  hunters  of  literary  curiosities.  Every  catalogue  should 
distinguish  first  editions  thus  [1st  ed.]  in  brackets. 

In  the  arrangement  of  titles  in  catalogues,  either  of  the 
various  works  of  the  same  writer,  or  of  many  books  on  the 
same  subject,  some  compilers  follow  the  alphabetical  or- 
der, while  others  prefer  the  chronological — or  the  order 
of  years  of  publication  of  the  various  works.  The  latter 
has  the  advantage  of  showing  the  reader  the  earlier  as  dis- 
tinguished from  the  recent  literature,  but  in  a  long  se- 
quence of  authors  (in  a  subject-catalogue)  it  is  more  dif- 
ficult to  find  a  given  writer's  work,  or  to  detect  its  absence. 

The  task  of  accurately  distril3uting  the  titles  in  a  cata- 
logue of  subjects  would  be  much  simplified,  if  the  books 
were  all  properly  named.  But  it  is  an  unhappy  failing 
of  many  writers  to  give  fanciful  or  far-fetched  titles  to 
their  books,  so  that,  instead  of  a  descriptive  name,  they 
have  names  that  describe  nothing.  This  adds  indefinitely 
to  the  labor  of  the  cataloguer,  who  must  spend  time  to 
analyse  to  some  extent  the  contents  of  the  book,  before 
he  can  classify  it.  This  must  be  done  to  avoid  what  may 
be  gross  errors  in  the  catalogue.  Familiar  examples  are 
Euskin's  Notes  on  Sheep-folds  (an  ecclesiastical  criticism) 
classified  under  Agriculture;  and  Edgeworth's  Irish  Bulls 
under  Domestic  animals. 

The  work  of  alphabeting  a  large  number  of  title-cards 
is  much  simplified  and  abbreviated  by  observing  certain 
obvious  rules  in  the  distribution.     (1)  Gather  in  the  same 


CATALOGUES.  389 

pile  all  the  cards  in  the  first  letter  of  the  alphabet,  A,  fol- 
lowed in  successive  parallel  rows  by  all  the  B's,  and  so  on, 
to  the  letter  Z.  (2)  Next,  pursue  the  same  course  with  all 
the  titles,  arranging  under  the  second  letter  of  the  alpha- 
bet, Aa,  Ab,  Ac,  etc.,  and  so  with  all  the  cards  under  B.  C. 
&c.  for  all  the  letters.  (3)  If  there  still  remain  a  great 
many  titles  to  distribute  into  a  closer  alphabetic  sequence, 
tlie  third  operation  will  consist  in  arranging  under  the 
third  letter  of  the  alphabet,  e.  g.,  Abb,  Abe,  Abd,  etc.  The 
same  method  is  pursued  througliout  the  entire  alphabet, 
until  all  the  title-cards  are  arranged  in  strict  order. 

Too  much  care  cannot  be  taken  to  distinguish  between 
books  written  by  different  authors,  but  bearing  the  same 
name.  Many  catalogues  are  full  of  errors  in  this  respect, 
attributing,  for  example,  works  written  by  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards, the  younger,  (1745-1801)  to  Jonathan  Edwards  the 
elder,  (1703-58);  or  cataloguing  under  Henry  James,  Jr., 
the  works  of  his  father,  Henry  James.  The  abundant 
means  of  identification  which  exist  should  cause  such 
errors  to  be  avoided;  and  when  the  true  authorship  is 
fixed,  every  author's  chronology  should  appear  next  after 
his  name  on  every  card-title:  e.  g.  James  (Henry,  1811-82) 
Moralism  and  Christianity,  Xew  York,  1850.  James 
(Henry,  1843-  )  Daisy  Miller,  X.  Y.  1879. 

The  designation  of  book  sizes  is  a  vexed  question  in  cata- 
logues. The  generally  used  descriptions  of  size,  from  folio 
down  to  48mo.  signify  no  accurate  measurement  Avhat- 
ever,  the  same  book  being  described  by  different  catalogues 
as  12mo.  8vo,  crown  8vo.  &c.,  according  to  fancy;  while 
the  same  cataloguer  who  describes  a  volume  as  octavo  to- 
day, is  very  likely  to  call  it  a  duodecimo  to-morrow.  Li- 
brary catalogues  are  full  of  these  heterogeneous  descrip- 
tions, and  the  size-notation  is  the  hete  noir  of  the  veteran 
bibliographer,  and  the  despair  of  the  infant  in}rarian.    Yet 


390  A    BOOK    FOE   ALL    READERS. 

it  is  probable  that  the  question  has  excited  a  discussion 
out  of  all  proportion  to  its  importance.  Of  what  conse- 
quence is  the  size  of  a  book  to  any  one,  except  to  the 
searcher  who  has  to  find  it  on  the  shelves?  While  the 
matter  has  been  much  exaggerated,  some  concert  or  uni- 
formity in  describing  the  sizes  of  books  is  highly  desirable. 
A  Committee  of  the  American  Library  Association 
agreed  to  a  size-notation,  figured  below,  adopting  the  me- 
tric system  as  the  standard,  to  which  we  add  the  approxi- 
mate equivalents  in  inches. 


Sizes. 

Size  abbre- 
I'lalioiis. 

Centimetres 
outside  height. 

Inche 

Folio,  F°. 

F 

40 

16 

Quarto,  4°. 

Q 

30 

12 

Octavo,  8°. 

o 

25 

10 

Duodecimo,  12°. 

D 

20 

8 

Sixteen  mo.,  16°. 

s 

17.5 

7 

Twenty-four  mo.,  24°. 

T 

15 

6 

Thirty-two  mo.,  32°. 

Tt 

12.3 

5 

Forty-eight  mo.,  48°. 

Fe 

10 

4 

It  will  be  understood  that  the  figure  against  each  size 
indicated  represents  the  maximum  measure :  e.  g.  a.  volume 
is  octavo  when  above  20  and  below  25  centimetres  (8  to 
10  inches  high). 

As  this  question  of  sizes  concerns  publishers  and  book- 
sellers, as  well  as  librarians,  and  the  metric  system,  though 
established  in  continental  Europe,  is  in  little  use  in  the 
United  States  and  England,  it  remains  doubtful  if  any 
general  adherence  to  this  system  of  notation  can  be  reach- 
ed— or,  indeed,  to  any  other.  The  Publishers'  Weekly 
(N.  Y.)  the  organ  of  the  book  trade,  has  adopted  it  for  the 
titles  of  new  books  actually  in  hand,  but  follows  the  pub- 
lishers' descriptions  of  sizes  as  to  others.  Librarian  J. 
Winter  Jones,  of  the  British  Museum,  recommended  class- 
ing all  books  above  twelve  inches  in  height  as  folios,  those 


CATALOGUES.  391 

between  ten  and  twelve  inches  as  quartos,  those  from  seven 
to  ten  inches  as  octavos,  and  all  measuring  seven  inches 
or  under  as  12mos.  Mr.  H.  B.  Wheatley,  in  his  work, 
"How  to  Catalogue  a  Library/'  1889,  proposed  to  call  all 
books  small  octavos  which  measure  below  the  ordinary 
octavo  size.  As  all  sizes  "run  into  each  other,"  and  the 
former  classification  by  the  fold  of  the  sheets  is  quite  ob- 
solete, people  appear  to  be  left  to  their  own  devices  in  de- 
scribing the  sizes  of  books.  While  the  metric  notation 
would  be  exact,  if  the  size  of  every  book  were  expressed  in 
centimetres,  the  size-notation  in  the  table  given  is  wholly 
wanting  in  precision,  and  has  no  more  claim  to  be  adopted 
than  any  other  arbitrary  plan.  Still,  it  will  serve  ordinary 
wants,  and  the  fact  that  we  cannot  reach  an  exact  stand- 
ard is  no  reason  for  refusing  to  be  as  nearly  exact  as  we  can. 

And  while  we  are  upon  the  subject  of  notation  may  be 
added  a  brief  explanation  of  the  metliod  adopted  in  earlier 
ages,  (and  especially  the  years  reckoned  from  the  Christian 
era)  to  express  numbers  by  Eoman  numerals.  The  one 
simple  principle  was,  that  each  letter  placed  after  a  figure 
of  greater  equal  value  adds  to  it  just  the  value  which  itself 
has;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  a  letter  of  less  value  placed 
before  (or  on  the  left  of)  a  larger  figure,  diminishes  the 
value  of  that  figure  in  the  same  proportion.     For  example: 

These  letters — VI  represent  six;  which  is  the  same  as 
saying  V+I.  On  the  contrary,  these  same  letters  reversed 
represent  four;  tlius — IV:  that  is  V — l=:i.  Nine  is  rep- 
resented by  IX,  {.  e.,  X — I,  ten  minus  one.  On  the  same 
principle,  LX  represents  GO — or  L-f-X:  whereas  XL  means 
10 — being  L — X.  Proceeding  on  the  same  basis,  we  find 
that  LXX=L+XX=70;  and  LXXX  or  L+XXX  is  80. 
But  when  we  come  to  ninety,  instead  of  adding  four  X's 
to  the  L,  they  took  a  shorter  method,  and  expressed  it  in 
two  figures  instead  of  five,  thus,  XC,  i.  c.  100  or  C — X=90. 


392 


A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 


The  remarkable  thing  about  this  Roman  notation  is  that 
only  six  letters  sufficed  to  exi)ress  all  numbers  up  to  one 
thousand,  and  even  beyond,  l)y  skilful  and  simple  combi- 
nations: namely  the  I,  the  V,  the  X,  the  L,  the  C,  and 
the  M,  and  by  adding  or  substracting  some  of  these  letters, 
when  placed  before  or  after  another  letter,  they  had  a 
■whole  succession  of  numbers  done  to  their  hand — thus: 

T,     1  XX,  ....    20  CC,  .   .   .   .  200 

II,      2  XXX,  .    .       .30  CCC,  ....  300 

III, 3  XL,  ....    40  CCCC,  ....  400 

IV,      4  L,  ....    60  D,  ....  500 

V,      6  LX,  ....    60  DC,  ...   .  600 

VI,      6  LXX,  ....    70        DCC 700 

VII 7  LXXX,  ....    80  DCCC,  ....  800 

VIII,      8  XC,  ....    90  CM,       .    .    .  900 

IX 9  C  (centum),    .    .  100  M,  (mille),  1,000 

X,      .    .       .    .  10„ 

Now,  when  the  early  printers  came  to  apply  dates  of 
publication  to  the  books  they  issued,  (and  here  is  where 
their  methods  of  notation  become  most  important  to  libra- 
rians) they  used  precisely  these  methods.  For  example, 
to  express  the  year  1695,  they  printed  it  thus:  MDCVC, 
that  is— 1000+500+1004-100—5.  But  the  printers  of 
the  15th  century  and  later,  often  used  complications  of 
letters,  dictated  by  caprice  rather  than  by  any  fixed  prin- 
ciples, so  that  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  interpret  certain 
dates  in  the  colophons  or  title-pages  of  books,  without  col- 
lateral aid  of  some  kind,  usually  supplied  to  the  librarian 
by  bibliographies.  One  of  the  simpler  methods  of  depar- 
ture from  the  regular  notation  as  above  explained,  was  to 
substitute  for  the  letter  D  (500)  two  letters,  thus — ID,  an  I 
and  a  C  inverted,  supposed  to  resemble  the  letter  D  in  out- 
line. Another  fancy  was  to  replace  the  M,  standing  for 
1,000, by  the  symbols  CIO — which  present  a  faint  approach 
to  the  outline  of  the  letter  M,  for  which  they  stand.  Thus, 
to  express  the  year  1610,  we  have  this  combination — 
CIO  10  ex.  which  would  be  indecipherable  to  a  modern 


CATALOGUES,  393 

reader,  uninstructed  in  the  numerical  signs  anciently  used, 
and  their  values.  In  like  manner,  1548  is  expressed  thus: 
MDXLIIX,  meaning  1000+500+40+10—2.  And  for 
162G,  we  have  CIO  10  C  XXVI. 

As  every  considerable  library  has  early  jirinted  books, 
a  librarian  must  know  these  peculiarities  of  notation,  in 
order  to  catalogue  them  properly,  without  mistake  as  to 
their  dates.  In  some  books,  where  a  capricious  combina- 
tion of  Eoman  numerals  leaves  him  without  a  precedent  to 
guide  him  to  the  true  date,  reference  must  be  had  to 
the  bibliographies  of  the  older  literature,  (as  Hain,  Panzer, 
etc.),  which  will  commonly  solve  the  doubt. 

As  to  the  mechanics  of  catalogue-making,  widely  differ- 
ent usages  and  materials  prevail.  In  America,  the  card  or 
title-slip  system  is  well-nigh  universal,  while  in  England  it 
is  but  slowly  gaining  ground,  as  against  the  ledger  or  blank 
book  catalogue.  Its  obvious  advantage  lies  in  affording 
the  only  possible  means  of  maintaining  a  strict  alphabeti- 
cal sequence  in  titles,  whether  of  authors  or  subjects.  The 
title-cards  should  be  always  of  uniform  size,  and  the  meas- 
ure most  in  vogue  is  five  inches  in  length  by  three  inches 
in  breadth.  They  should  not  be  too  stiff,  though  of  suiTi- 
(ient  thickness,  whether  of  paper  or  of  thin  card  board, 
to  stand  upriglit  without  doubling  at  the  edges.  They 
may  be  ruled  or  plain,  at  pleasure,  and  kept  in  drawers, 
trays,  or  (in  case  of  a  small  catalogue)  in  such  paste-board 
boxes  as  letter  envelopes  come  in. 

The  many  advantages  of  the  card  system,  both  for  cata- 
logues and  indexes,  should  not  lead  us  to  overlook  its  pal- 
pable defects.  These  are  (1)  It  obliges  readers  to  manij)- 
iilate  many  cards,  to  arrive  at  all  the  works  of  an  autlior, 
or  all  the  books  on  any  subject,  instead  of  having  them 
under  his  eye  at  once,  as  in  ])rinicd  catalogues.  (2)  It 
can  be  used  only  in  tlie  lilirnry,  and  in  only  one  place  in 


39-1  A   BOOK   FOR  ALL   READERS. 

the  library,  and  by  only  one  person  at  a  time  in  the  same 
spot,  while  a  printed  catalogue  can  be  freely  used  any- 
where, and  by  any  numbers,  copies  being  multiplied.  (3) 
It  entails  frequent  crowding  of  readers  around  the  cata- 
logue drawers,  who  need  to  consult  the  same  subjects  or 
authors  at  the  same  time.  (4)  It  requires  immeasurably 
more  room  than  a  printed  catalogue,  and  in  fact,  exacts 
space  which  in  some  libraries  can  be  ill  afforded.  (5) 
It  obliges  readers  to  search  the  title-cards  at  inconvenient 
angles  of  vision,  and  often  with  inadequate  light.  (6)  It 
is  cumbersome  in  itself,  and  doubly  cumbersome  to  search- 
ers, who  must  stand  up  instead  of  sitting  to  consult  it,  and 
travel  from  drawer  to  drawer,  interfering  with  other 
searchers  almost  constantly,  or  losing  time  in  waiting. 
(7)  To  this  is  added  the  inconvenience  of  constant  inser- 
tion of  new  title-cards  by  members  of  the  library  staff,  and 
the  time-consuming  process  of  working  the  rods  which 
keep  the  cards  in  place,  if  they  are  used,  and  if  not  used, 
the  risk  of  loss  of  titles,  or  misplacement  equivalent  to 
loss  for  a  time. 

Says  Mr.  H.  B.  Wheatley :  "I  can  scarcely  imagine  any- 
thing more  maddening  than  a  frequent  reference  to  cards 
in  a  drawer."  But  it  is  to  be  considered  that  all  systems 
have  defects,  and  the  problem  of  choosing  the  least  de- 
fective is  ever  before  us.  Most  of  the  suggested  defects 
of  the  card  catalogue,  as  concerns  the  readers,  can  be  ob- 
viated by  making  a  two-fold  catalogue,  the  type-written 
titles  being  manifolded,  and  one  set  arranged  in  card- 
drawers  for  the  use  of  the  library  staff,  while  another  is 
mounted  on  large  sheets  in  bound  volumes  for  use  of  the 
public.  This  would  secure  the  advantages  of  a  printed 
catalogue,  with  no  more  expense  than  the  manuscript 
titles  would  cost.  If  desired,  a  number  of  copies  could  be 
bound  up  for  reading-room  use.     Accessions  of  new  books 


CATALOGUES.  395 

could  be  incorporated  from  month  to  month,  by  leaving 
the  right-hand  pages  blank  for  that  purpose.  This  would 
be  near  enough  to  alphabetical  order  for  most  readers, 
with  the  immense  advantage  of  opening  at  one  glance  be- 
fore the  eye,  any  author  or  subject.  It  would  go  far  to 
solve  the  problem  how  to  unite  the  flexibility  and  perfect 
alphabeting  of  the  card  system,  witli  the  superior  comfort, 
safety,  and  ease  of  reference  of  the  book.  It  would  also 
be  a  safe-guard  against  the  loss  or  displacement  of  titles, 
a  danger  inherent  in  the  card  system,  as  they  could  be 
replaced  by  copying  missing  titles  from  the  catalogue  vol- 
umes. 

While  the  undoubted  merits  of  the  card  system  have 
been  much  overrated,  it  would  be  as  unwise  to  dispense 
with  it  as  the  complete  official  catalogue  of  the  library,  as 
it  would  be  to  tie  down  the  public  to  its  use,  when  there  is 
a  more  excellent  way,  saving  time  and  patience,  and  con- 
trilmting  to  the  comfort  of  all. 

To  print  or  not  to  print?  is  a  vital  question  for  libraries, 
and  it  is  in  most  cases  decided  to  forego  or  to  postpone 
printing,  because  of  its  great  expense.  Yet  so  manifest 
are  the  advantages  of  a  printed  catalogue,  that  all  public 
libraries  should  make  every  effort  to  endow  their  readers 
with  its  benefits.  These  advantages  are  (1)  Greater  facil- 
ity of  reading  titles.  (2)  Much  more  rapid  turning  from 
letter  to  letter  of  the  catalogue  alphabet.  (3)  Ability  to 
consult  it  outside  of  the  library.  (4)  Unlimited  command 
of  the  catalogue  by  many  readers  at  once,  from  the  num- 
ber of  copies  at  hand,  whereas  card  catalogues  or  manu- 
script volumes  involve  loss  of  time  in  waiting,  or  interfer- 
ing with  the  researches  of  others.  A  part  of  those  advan- 
iages  may  be  realized  by  printing  type-written  copies  of  all 
titles  in  duplicate,  or  by  carbon  paper  in  manifold,  thus 
furnishing  the  lilirary  with  several  copies  of  its  catalogue: 


39G  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

but  why  not  extend  this  by  multiplying  copies  through  the 
ingenious  processes  now  in  use,  by  which  the  printing  of 
titles  can  be  effected  far  more  cheaply  than  in  any  printing 
office?  Might  not  every  library  become  its  own  printer, 
thus  saving  it  from  tlie  inconvenience  and  risk  of  sending 
its  titles  outside,  or  the  great  expense  of  copying  them 
for  the  printer? 

The  titles  thus  manifolded  could  be  combined  into  vol- 
umes, by  cutting  away  all  superfluous  margins  and  mount- 
ing the  thin  title-slips  alphabetically  on  paper  of  uniform 
size,  which,  when  bound,  would  be  readily  handled.  All 
the  titles  of  an  author's  works  would  be  under  the  eye 
at  a  glance,  instead  of  only  one  at  a  time,  as  in  the  card 
catalogue.  And  the  titles  of  books  on  every  subject  would 
lie  open,  without  slowly  manipulating  an  infinite  series 
of  cards,  one  after  another,  to  reveal  them  to  the  eye.  The 
classification  marks  could  be  readily  placed  against  each 
title,  or  even  printed  as  a  part  of  the  manifold  card  titles. 

Not  that  the  card  catalogue  system  would  be  abolished: 
it  would  remain  as  the  only  complete  catalogue  of  the  li- 
brary, always  up  to  date,  in  a  single  alphabet.  Daily  ac- 
cessions inserted  in  it  would  render  it  the  standard  of 
appeal  as  to  all  that  the  library  contained,  and  it  would 
thus  supplement  the  printed  catalogue. 

Of  course,  large  and  increasing  accessions  would  require 
to  be  combined  in  occasional  supplementary  volumes  of 
the  catalogue;  and  in  no  long  number  of  years  the  whole 
might  be  re-combined  in  a  single  alphabet,  furnishing  a 
printed  dictionary  catalogue  up  to  its  date. 

The  experience  of  the  great  British  Museum  Library  in 
this  matter  of  catalogues  is  an  instructive  one.  After 
printing  various  incomplete  author-catalogues  in  the  years 
from  1787  to  1841,  the  attempt  to  print  came  to  a  full 
stop.     The  extensive  collection  grew  apace,  and  the  man- 


CATALOGUES.  397 

agement  got  along  somehow  with  a  manuscript  catalogue, 
the  titles  of  which  (written  in  script  with  approximate 
fullness)  were  pasted  in  a  series  of  unwieldy  but  alpha- 
betically arranged  volumes.  To  incorporate  the  acces- 
sions, these  volumes  had  continually  to  be  taken  apart  by 
the  binder,  and  the  new  titles  combined  in  alphabetical 
order,  entailing  a  literally  endless  labor  of  transcribing, 
shifting,  relaying  and  rebinding,  to  secure  even  an  imper- 
fect alphabetical  sequence.  In  1875,  the  catalogue  had 
grown  to  over  two  thousand  thick  folio  volumes,  and  it  was 
foreseen,  by  a  simple  computation  of  the  rate  of  growth  of 
the  library,  that  in  a  very  few  years  its  catalogue  could  no 
longer  be  contained  in  the  reading-room.  The  bulky 
manuscript  catalogue  system  broke  down  by  its  own 
weight,  and  the  management  was  compelled  to  resort  to 
printing  in  self  defence.  Before  the  printing  had  reached 
any  where  near  the  concluding  letters  of  the  alphabet,  the 
MS.  catalogue  had  grown  to  three  thousand  volumes,  and 
was  a  daily  and  hourly  incubus  to  librarians  and  readers. 
This  printed  catalogue  of  the  largest  library  in  the 
world,  save  one,  is  strictly  a  catalogue  of  authors,  giving 
in  alphabetical  order  the  names,  followed  by  the  titles  of 
all  works  by  each  writer  which  that  library  possesses.  In 
addition,  it  refers  in  the  case  of  biographies  or  comments 
upon  any  writer  found  in  the  index,  to  the  authors  of  sucli 
works;  and  also  from  translators  or  editors  to  tlie  authors 
of  the  translated  or  edited  work.  The  titles  of  accessions 
to  the  library  (between  thirty  and  forty  thousand  vol- 
umes a  year)  were  incorporated  year  by  year  as  the  ]irint- 
ing  went  on.  All  claim  to  minute  accuracy  had  to  l)e  ig- 
nored, and  the  titles  greatly  abridged  by  omitting  super- 
fluous words,  otherwise  its  cost  would  have  been  prohilii- 
tory.  The  work  was  prosecuted  with  great  energy  and 
diligence  by  the  staff  of  able  scliolars  in  the  service  of  the 


398  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

Museiiin  Lil)rary.  As  the  catalogue  embraces  far  more 
titles  of  books,  pamphlets,  and  periodicals  than  any  other 
ever  printed,  it  is  a  great  public  boon,  the  aid  it  affords 
to  all  investigators  being  incalculable.  And  any  library 
possessing  it  nuvy  find,  with  many  titles  of  rare  and  unat- 
taiiial)le  works,  multitudes  of  books  now  available  by  pur- 
chase in  the  market,  to  enrich  its  own  collection.  It  is 
said  to  contain  about  3,500,000  titles  and  cross-references. 
It  is  printed  in  large,  clear  type,  douljle  columns,  well 
spaced,  and  its  open  page  is  a  comfort  to  the  eye.  Issued 
in  paper  covers,  the  thin  folios  can  be  bound  in  volumes 
of  any  thickness  desired  by  the  possessor. 

It  has  several  capital  defects:  (1)  It  fails  to  discrimi- 
nate authors  of  the  same  name  by  printing  the  years  or 
period  of  each;  instead  of  which  it  gives  designations  like 
"the  elder",  "the  younger",  or  the  residence,  or  occupa- 
tion, or  title  of  the  author.  The  years  during  which  any 
writer  flourished  would  have  been  easily  added  to  the  name 
in  most  cases,  and  the  value  of  such  information  would 
have  been  great,  solving  at  once  many  doubts  as  to  many 
writers.  (2)  The  catalogue  fails  to  print  the  collations 
of  all  works,  except  as  to  a  portion  of  those  published 
since  1882,  or  in  the  newer  portions  issued.  This  omis- 
sion leaves  a  reader  uncertain  whether  the  book  recorded 
is  a  pamphlet  or  an  extensive  work.  (3)  The  letters  I  and 
J  and  U  and  V  are  run  together  in  the  alphabet,  after  the 
ancient  fashion,  thus  placing  Josephus  before  Irving,  and 
Utah  after  Virginia;  an  arrangement  highly  perplexing, 
not  to  say  exasperating,  to  every  searcher.  To  follow  an 
obsolete  usage  may  be  defended  on  the  plea  that  it  is  a  good 
one,  but  when  it  is  bad  as  well  as  outworn,  no  excuse  for 
it  can  satisfy  a  modern  reader.  (4)  No  analysis  is  given 
of  the  collected  works  of  authors,  nor  of  many  libraries 
made  up  of  monographs.     One  cannot  find  in  it  the  con- 


CATALOGUES.  399 

tents  of  the  volumes  of  any  of  Swift's  Works,  nor  even  of 
Milton's  Prose  "Writings.  (5)  It  fails  to  record  the  names 
of  publishers,  except  in  the  case  of  some  early  or  rare 
books. 

The  printing  of  this  monumental  catalogue  began  in 
1881,  the  volumes  of  MS.  catalogue  being  set  up  by  the 
printer  without  transcription,  which  would  have  de- 
layed the  work  indefinitely,  and  it  is  now  substantially 
completed.  Its  total  cost  will  l)c  not  far  from  £50,000. 
There  are  about  374  volumes  or  parts  in  all.  Only  250 
copies  were  printed,  part  of  which  were  presented  to  large 
liltraries,  and  others  were  offered  for  sale  at  £3.10  per 
annum,  payable  as  issued,  so  that  a  complete  set  costs  about 
£70.  One  learns  with  surprise  that  only  about  forty 
copies  have  been  subscribed  for.  This  furnishes  another 
evidence  of  the  low  estate  of  bibliography  in  England, 
where,  in  a  nation  full  of  rich  book-collectors  and  owners 
of  fine  libraries,  almost  no  buyers  are  found  for  the  most 
extensive  bibliography  ever  published,  a  national  work, 
furnishing  so  copious  and  useful  a  key  to  the  literature  of 
the  world  in  every  department  of  human  knowledge. 


CHAPTER  23. 

Copyright  and  Libraries. 

The  preservation  of  literature  through  public  libraries 
has  been  and  will  ever  be  one  of  the  most  signal  benefits 
which  civilization  has  brought  to  mankind.  When  we 
consider  the  multitude  of  books  which  have  perished 
from  the  earth,  from  the  want  of  a  preserving  hand,  a  live- 
ly sense  of  regret  comes  over  us  that  so  few  libraries  have 
been  charged  with  the  duty  of  acquiring  and  keeping 
every  publication  that  comes  from  the  press.  Yet  we  owe 
an  immeasurable  debt  to  the  wisdom  and  far-sightedness 
of  those  who,  centuries  ago,  provided  by  this  means  for 
the  perpetuity  of  literature. 

The  earliest  step  taken  in  this  direction  appears  to 
have  been  in  France.  By  an  ordinance  proclaimed 
in  1537,  regulating  the  printing  of  books,  it  was  required 
that  a  copy  of  each  work  issued  from  the  press  should  be 
deposited  in  the  royal  library.  And  it  was  distinctly 
affirmed  that  the  ground  of  this  exaction  was  to  preserve 
to  posterity  the  literature  of  the  time,  which  might  other- 
wise disappear.*  This  edict  of  three  centuries  and  a  half 
ago  was  the  seed-grain  from  which  has  grown  the  largest 
library  yet  gathered  in  the  world — the  Bihliotlieque  Na- 
tionaU  of  France.  It  antedated  by  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years,  any  similar  provision  in  England  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  national  literature. 

It  is  a  notable  fact  that  the  United  States  of  America 

*G.   H.   Putnam,   "Books   and   their   makers   in   the   Middle 
Ages,"  N.  Y.  1897,  toI.  2,  p.  447. 

(400) 


COPYRIGHT   AND    LIBRAEIES.  401 

was  the  first  nation  that  ever  embodied  the  principle  of 
protection  to  the  rights  of  authors  in  its  fundamental 
law.  "The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  promote  the 
progress  of  science  and  useful  arts,  by  securing  for  limited 
times  to  authors  and  inventors  the  exclusive  right  to  their 
respective  writings  and  discoveries."  Thus  anchored  in 
the  Constitution  itself,  this  principle  has  been  further 
recognized  by  repeated  acts  of  Congress,  aimed  in  all  cases 
at  giving  it  full  practical  effect. 

If  it  is  asked  why  the  authors  of  the  Constitution  gave 
to  Congress  no  plenary  power,  which  might  have  author- 
ized a  grant  of  copyright  in  perpetuity,  the  answer  is, 
that  in  this,  British  precedent  had  a  great,  if  not  a  con- 
trolling influence.  Copyright  in  England,  by  virtue  of 
the  statute  of  Anne,  passed  in  1710  (the  first  British  copy- 
right act),  was  limited  to  fourteen  years,  with  right  of  re- 
newal, by  a  living  author,  of  only  fourteen  years  more; 
and  lliis  was  in  full  force  in  1787,  when  our  Constitution 
was  framed.  Prior  to  the  British  statute  of  1710,  authors 
had  only  what  is  called  a  common  law  right  to  their  writ- 
ings; and  however  good  such  a  right  might  be,  so  long 
as  they  held  them  in  manuscript,  the  protection  to  printed 
books  was  extremely  uncertain  and  precarious. 

It  has  been  held,  indeed,  that  all  copyright  laws,  so  far 
from  maintaining  an  exclusive  property  right  to  authors, 
do  in  cfTcct  deny  it  (at  least  in  the  sense  of  a  natural 
right),  by  explicitly  limiting  the  term  of  exclusive  owner- 
ship, which  might  otherwise  be  held  (as  in  other  prop- 
erty) to  be  perpetual.  But  there  is  a  radical  distinction 
Ijetween  the  products  of  the  brain,  when  put  in  the  con- 
crete form  of  books  and  multiplied  by  the  art  of  printing, 
and  the  land  or  other  property  which  is  held  by  common 
law  tenure.  Society  views  the  absolute  or  exclusive  prop- 
erty in  books  or  inventions  as  a  monopoly.    Whle  a  mon- 


402  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

opoly  may  be  justified  for  a  reasonable  number  of  years, 
on  the  obvious  ground  of  securing  to  their  originators  the 
pecuniary  benefit  of  their  own  ideas,  a  perpetual  monopo- 
ly is  generally  regarded  as  odious  and  unjust.  Hence 
society  says  to  the  author  or  inventor:  "Put  your  ideas 
into  material  form,  and  we  will  guarantee  you  the  exclu- 
sive right  to  multiply  and  sell  your  books  or  your  inven- 
tions for  a  term  long  enough  to  secure  a  fair  reward  to 
you  and  to  your  family;  after  that  period  we  want  your 
monopoly,  with  its  individual  benefits,  to  cease  in  favor 
of  the  greatest  good  of  all.'^  If  this  appears  unfair  to 
authors,  who  contribute  so  greatly  to  the  instruction  and 
the  advancement  of  mankind,  it  is  to  be  considered  that  a 
perpetual  copyright  would  (1)  largely  increase  the  cost 
of  books,  which  should  be  most  widely  diffused  for  the 
public  benefit,  prolonging  the  enhanced  cost  indefinitely 
beyond  the  author's  lifetime;  (2)  it  would  benefit  by  a 
special  privilege,  prolonged  without  limit,  a  class  of  book 
manufacturers  or  publishers  who  act  as  middle-men 
between  the  author  and  the  public,  and  who  own,  in  most 
cases,  the  entire  property  in  the  works  of  authors  de- 
ceased, and  which  they  did  not  originate;  (3)  it  would 
amount  in  a  few  centuries  to  so  vast  a  sum,  taxed  upon 
the  community  who  buy  books,  that  the  publishers  of 
Shakespeare's  works,  for  example,  who  under  perpetual 
copyright  could  alone  print  the  poet's  writings,  might 
have  reaped  colossal  fortunes,  perhaps  unequalled  by  any 
private  wealth  yet  amassed  in  the  world. 

If  it  is  said  that  copyright,  thus  limited,  is  a  purely 
arbitrary  right,  it  may  be  ansv/ered  that  all  legal  pro- 
visions are  arbitrary.  That  Avhich  is  an  absolute  or  na- 
tural right,  so  long  as  held  in  idea  or  in  manuscript,  be- 
comes, when  given  to  the  world  in  multiplied  copies,  the 
creature  of  law.     The  most  that  authors  can  fairly  claim 


COPYRIGHT  AND   LIBRARIES.  403 

is  a  euflficiently  prolonged  exclusive  right  to  guarantee 
them  for  a  lifetime  the  just  reward  of  their  labors,  with 
a  reversion  for  their  immediate  heirs.  That  such  exclu- 
sive rights  should  run  to  their  remotest  posterity,  or,  a 
fortiori,  to  mere  merchants  or  artificers  who  had  no  hand 
whatever  in  the  creation  of  the  intellectual  work  thus  pro- 
tected, would  be  manifestly  unjust.  The  judicial  tri- 
bunals, both  in  England  and  America,  have  held  that 
copyright  laws  do  not  ailirm  an  existing  right,  but  create 
a  right,  with  special  privileges  not  before  existing,  and 
also  with  special  limitations. 

The  earliest  copyright  enactment  of  1790  granted  the 
exclusive  privilege  of  printing  his  work  to  the  author  or 
his  assigns  for  14  -|-  li,  or  twenty-eight  years  in  all. 

The  act  further  required  entry  of  the  title,  before  pub- 
lication, in  the  oihce  of  the  Clerk  of  the  United  States 
District  Court  in  the  State  where  the  author  or  proprietor 
resided. 

This  remained  the  law,  with  slight  amendment,  until 
1831,  when  a  new  copyright  act  extended  the  duration 
of  copyright  from  fourteen  to  twenty-eight  years  for  the 
original,  or  first  term,  with  right  of  renewal  to  the  au- 
thor (now  first  extended  to  his  widow  or  children,  in  case 
of  his  decease)  for  fourteen  additional  years,  making  for- 
ty-two years  in  all. 

By  the  same  act  the  privilege  of  copyright  was  extended 
to  cover  musical  compositions,  as  it  had  been  earlier  ex- 
tended (in  1802)  to  include  designs,  engravings,  and  etcli- 
ings.  Copyright  was  further  extended  in  1850  to  dra- 
matic compositions,  and  in  18f!5  to  ])h()tographs  and  nega- 
tives thereof.  In  1870  a  new  coi)yright  code,  to  take  the 
place  of  all  existing  and  scattered  statutes,  was  enacted, 
and  there  were  added  to  tlie  lawful  subjects  of  copyright, 
paintings,    drawings,    chromos,    statues,    statuary,    and 


404  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   EEADEKS. 

motk'ls  or  designs  intended  to  be  perfected  as  works  of 
the  line  arts.  And  finally,  by  act  of  ilarcli  3,  1891,  the 
benefits  of  copyright  were  extended  so  as  to  embrace  for- 
eign authors.  In  1897,  Congress  created  the  ofiQce  of 
Register  of  Copyrights,  hut  contiuiied  the  Copyright 
office,  with  its  records,  in  the  Library  of  Congress. 

In  1846,  the  first  enactment  entitling  the  Library  of 
the  United  States  Government  to  a  copy  of  every  work 
protected  by  copyright  was  passed.  This  act,  to  establish 
the  Smithsonian  Institution,  required  that  one  copy  of 
each  copyright  publication  he  deposited  therein,  and  one 
copy  in  the  Library  of  Congress.  Xo  penalties  were  pro- 
vided, and  in  1859,  on  complaint  of  the  authorities  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  that  the  law  brought  in  much 
trash  in  the  shape  of  articles  which  were  not  books,  the 
law  was  repealed,  with  the  apparent  concurrence  of  those 
in  charge  of  the  Congressional  Lihrary. 

This  left  that  Library  without  any  accessions  of  copy- 
right books  until  1865,  when,  at  the  instance  of  the  present 
writer,  the  Library  Committee  recommended,  and  Con- 
gress passed  an  act  restoring  the  privilege  to  the  Library 
of  Congress.  But  it  was  found  to  require,  in  order  to  its 
enforcement,  frequent  visits  to  the  records  of  the  clerks 
of  United  States  District  Courts  in  many  cities,  with 
costly  transcripts  of  records  in  more  than  thirty  other 
offices,  in  order  to  ascertain  what  hooks  had  actually  been 
copyrighted.  To  this  was  added  the  necessity  of  issuing 
demands  upon  delinquent  authors  or  publishers  for  books 
not  sent  to  the  Library;  no  residence  of  the  delinquents, 
however,  being  found  in  any  of  the  records,  which  simply 
recorded  those  claiming  copyright  as  "of  the  said  Dis- 
trict." 

It  resulted  that  no  complete,  nor  even  approximate 
compliance  with  the  law  was  secured,  and  after  five  years' 


COPYRIGHT  AND   LIBB-VRIES.  405 

trial,  the  Librarian  was  obliged  to  bring  before  the  com- 
mittees of  Congress  the  plan  of  a  copyright  registry  at  the 
seat  of  government,  as  had  been  the  requirement  in  the 
case  of  Patents  from  the  beginning. 

The  law  of  copyright,  as  codified  by  act  of  July  8,  1870, 
made  an  epoch  in  the  copyright  system  of  the  United 
States.  It  transferred  the  entire  registry  of  books  and 
other  publications,  under  copyright  law,  to  the  city  of 
Washington,  and  made  the  Librarian  of  Congress  sole 
register  of  copyrights,  instead  of  the  clerks  of  the  District 
Courts  of  the  United  States.  Manifold  reasons  existed  for 
this  radical  change,  and  those  which  were  most  influential 
with  Congress  in  making  it  were  the  following: 

1.  The  transfer  of  the  copyright  records  to  Washington 
it  was  foreseen  would  concentrate  and  simplify  the  busi- 
ness, and  this  was  a  cardinal  point.  Prior  to  1870  there 
were  between  forty  and  fifty  separate  and  distinct  au- 
thorities for  issuing  copyrights.  The  American  people 
were  put  to  much  trouble  to  find  out  where  to  apply,  in 
the  complicated  system  of  District  Courts,  several  of  them 
frequently  in  a  single  State,  to  enter  titles  for  publica- 
tion. They  were  required  to  make  entry  in  the  district 
where  the  applicant  resided,  and  this  was  frequently  a 
matter  of  doubt.  Moreover,  they  were  required  to  go  to 
the  expense  and  trouble  of  transmitting  a  copy  of  the  work, 
after  publication,  to  the  District  clerk,  and  another  copy 
to  the  Library  of  Congress.  Were  hoih  copies  mailed  to 
Washington  (post-free  by  law)  this  duty  would  be  dimin- 
ished by  one-half. 

2.  A  copyright  work  is  not  an  invention  nor  a  patent ;  it 
is  a  contribution  to  literature.  Tt  is  not  material,  but  intel- 
lectual, and  has  no  natural  relation  to  a  department  which 
ie  charged  with  the  care  of  the  mechanic  arts;  and  it  be- 
longs rather  to  a  national  library  system  than  to  any  other 


406  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

department  of  the  civil  service.  The  responsibility  of  car- 
ing for  it  would  be  an  incident  to  the  similar  labors  already 
devolved  npon  the  Librarian  of  Congress;  and  the  receipts 
from  copyright  certificates  would  much  more  than  pay  its 
expense,  thus  leaving  the  treasury  the  gainer  by  the 
change. 

3.  The  advantage  of  securing  to  our  national  library  a 
complete  collection  of  all  American  copyright  publications 
can  scarcely  be  over-estimated.  If  such  a  law  as  that  en- 
acted in  1870  had  been  enforced  since  the  beginning  of  the 
government,  we  should  now  have  in  the  Library  of  Con- 
gress a  complete  representation  of  the  product  of  the 
American  mind  in  every  department  of  science  and  litera- 
ture. Many  publications  which  are  printed  in  small  edi- 
tions, or  which  becom.e  "out  of  print"  from  the  many  acci- 
dents which  continually  destroy  books,  would  owe  to  such 
a  library  their  sole  chance  of  preservation.  "We  ought  to 
have  one  comprehensive  library  in  the  country,  and  that 
belonging  to  the  nation,  whose  aim  it  should  be  to  preserve 
the  books  which  other  libraries  have  not  the  room  nor  the 
means  to  procure. 

4.  This  consideration  assumes  additional  weight  when  it 
is  remembered  that  the  Library  of  Congress  is  freely  open 
to  the  public  day  and  evening  throughout  the  year,  and  is 
rapidly  becoming  the  great  reference  library  of  the  coun- 
try, resorted  to  not  only  by  Congress  and  the  residents  of 
Washington,  but  by  students  and  writers  from  all  parts  of 
the  l^nion,  in  search  of  references  and  authorities  not  else- 
where to  be  found.  The  advantage  of  having  all  Ameri- 
can publications  accessible  upon  inquiry  would  be  to  build 
up  at  Washington  a  truly  national  library,  approximately 
complete  and  available  to  all  the  people. 

These  considerations  prevailed  with  Congress  to  effect 
the  amendment  in  copyright  registration  referred  to. 


COPYEIGHT  AND   LIBRARIES.  407 

By  enactment  of  the  statute  of  1870  all  the  defects  in 
the  methods  of  registration  and  deposit  of  copies  were  ob- 
viated. The  original  records  of  copyright  in  all  the  States 
were  thenceforward  kept  in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of 
Congress.  All  questions  as  to  literary  property,  involv- 
ing a  search  of  records  to  determine  points  of  validity, 
such  as  priority  of  entry,  names  and  residence  of  actual 
owners,  transfers  or  assignments,  timely  deposit  of  the 
required  copies,  etc.,  could  be  determined  upon  inquiry  at 
a  single  office  of  record.  These  inquiries  are  extremely 
numerous,  and  obviously  very  important,  involving  fre- 
quently large  interests  in  valuable  publications  in  which 
litigation  to  establish  the  rights  of  authors,  publishers  or 
infringers  has  been  commenced  or  threatened.  By  the 
full  records  of  copyright  entries  thus  preserved,  more- 
over, the  Library  of  Congress  (which  is  the  property  of  the 
nation)  has  been  enabled  to  secure  what  was  before  unat- 
tainable, namely,  an  approximately  complete  collection  of 
all  American  books,  etc.,  protected  by  copyright,  since  the 
legislation  referred  t©  went  into  effect.  The  system  has 
been  found  in  practice  to  give  general  satisfaction;  the 
manner  of  securing  copyright  has  been  made  plain  and 
easy  to  all,  the  office  of  record  being  now  a  matter  of  pub- 
lic notoriety;  and  the  test  of  experience  during  thirty 
years  has  established  the  system  so  thoroughly  that  none 
would  be  found  to  favor  a  return  to  the  former  methods. 

The  Act  of  1870  provided  for  the  removal  of  the  collec- 
tion of  copyright  books  and  other  publications  from  the 
over-crowded  Patent  Office  to  the  Lil)rary  of  Congress. 
These  publications  were  the  accumulations  of  about  eighty 
years,  received  from  the  United  States  District  Clerks' 
offices  under  the  old  law.  By  request  of  tlic  Commis- 
Bioner  of  Patents  all  the  law  books  and  a  large  number  of 
technical  works  were  reserved  at  the  I)ci)artnient  of  the 


408  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

Interior.  The  residue,  when  removed  to  the  Capitol,  were 
found  to  number  23,070  volumes,  a  much  smaller  num- 
ber than  had  been  anticipated,  in  view  of  the  length  of 
time  during  which  the  copy  tax  had  been  in  operation. 
But  the  observance  of  the  acts  requiring  deposits  of  copy- 
right publications  with  the  Clerks  of  the  United  States 
District  Courts  had  been  very  defective  (no  penalty  being 
provided  for  non-compliance),  and,  moreover,  the  Patent 
Office  had  failed  to  receive  from  the  offices  of  original  de- 
posit large  numbers  of  publications  which  should  have 
been  sent  to  "Washington.  From  one  of  the  oldest  States 
in  the  Union  not  a  single  book  had  been  sent  in  evidence 
of  copyright.  The  books,  however,  which  were  added  to 
the  Congressional  Library,  although  consisting  largely  of 
school  books  and  the  minor  literature  of  the  last  half  cen- 
tury, comprised  many  valuable  additions  to  the  collection 
of  American  books,  which  it  should  be  the  aim  of  a  Na- 
tional Library  to  render  complete.  Among  them  were 
the  earliest  editions  of  the  works  of  many  well-kno^vTi  writ- 
ers, now  out  of  print  and  scarce. 

The  first  book  ever  entered  for  copyright  privileges 
under  the  laws  of  the  United  States  was  "The  Philadel- 
phia Spelling  Book,"  which  was  registered  in  the  Clerk's 
Office  of  the  District  of  Pennsylvania,  June  9,  1790,  by 
John  Barry  as  author.  The  spelling  book  was  a  fit  intro- 
duction to  the  long  series  of  books  since  produced  to  fur- 
ther the  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  men.  The  second 
book  entered  was  "The  American  Geography,"  by  Jede- 
diah  Morse,  entered  in  the  District  of  Massachusetts  on 
July  10,  1790,  a  copy  of  which  is  preserved  in  the  Library 
of  Congress.  The  earliest  book  entered  in  the  State  of 
New  York  was  on  the  30th  of  April,  1791,  and  it  was  en- 
titled "The  Young  Gentleman's  and  Lady's  Assistant,  by 
Donald  Eraser,  Schoolmaster." 


COPYRIGHT  AXD   LIBEAEIES.  409 

Objection  has  occasionally,  though  rarely,  been  made  to 
what  is  known  as  the  copy-tax,  by  which  two  copies  of  each 
publication  must  be  deposited  in  the  National  Library. 
This  requirement  rests  upon  two  valid  grounds:  (1)  The 
preservation  of  copies  of  everything  protected  by  copy- 
right is  necessary  in  the  interest  of  authors  and  publish- 
ers, in  evidence  of  copyright,  and  in  aid  of  identification 
in  connection  with  the  record  of  title;  (2)  the  library  of 
the  government  (which  is  that  of  the  whole  people)  should 
possess  and  permanently  preserve  a  complete  collection  of 
the  products  of  the  American  press,  so  far  as  secured  by 
copyright.  The  government  makes  no  unreasonable  exac- 
tion in  saying  to  authors  and  publishers:  "The  nation 
gives  you  exclusive  right  to  make  and  sell  your  publica- 
tion, without  limit  as  to  quantity,  for  fort3^-two  years;  give 
the  nation  in  return  two  copies,  one  for  the  use  and  refer- 
ence of  Congress  and  the  public  in  the  National  Library, 
the  other  for  preservation  in  the  copyright  archives,  in 
perpetual  evidence  of  your  right." 

In  view  of  the  valuable  monopoly  conceded  by  tlic  pub- 
lic, does  not  the  government  in  effect  give  far  more  than 
a  quid  pro  quo  for  the  copy-tax?  Of  course  it  would  not 
be  equitable  to  exact  even  one  copy  of  publications  not  se- 
cured by  copyright,  in  which  case  the  government  gives 
nothing  and  gets  nothing;  but  the  exaction  of  actually 
protected  publications,  while  it  is  almost  unfelt  by  publish- 
ers, is  so  clearly  in  the  interest  of  the  public  intelligence, 
as  well  as  of  authors  and  publisliers  themselves,  that  no 
valid  objection  to  it  appears  to  exist.  In  Great  Britain 
five  copies  of  every  book  protected  by  cojiyriglit  arc  re- 
'piircd  for  five  different  libraries,  wliicli  appears  somewluit 
unreasonable. 

Kegarding  the  right  of  renewal  of  the  term  of  copyright, 
it  is  a  significant  fact  that  it  is  availed  of  in  comparatively 


ilO  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

few  instances,  compared  with  tlie  whole  body  of  publica- 
tions. Multitudes  of  books  are  published  which  not  only 
never  reach  a  second  edition,  but  the  sale  of  which  does 
not  exhaust  more  than  a  small  part  of  the  copies  printed 
of  the  first.  In  these  cases  the  right  of  renewal  is  waived 
and  suffered  to  lapse,  from  defect  of  commercial  value  in 
the  work  protected.  In  many  other  cases  the  right  of  re- 
newal expires  before  the  author  or  his  assigns  bethink 
them  of  the  privilege  secured  to  them  under  the  law.  It 
results  that  more  than  nine-tenths,  probably,  of  all  books 
published  are  free  to  any  one  to  print,  without  reward  or 
royalty  to  their  authors,  after  a  very  few  years  have  elapsed. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  exclusive  right  in  some  publica- 
tions of  considerable  commercial  value  is  kept  alive  far  be- 
yond the  forty-two  years  included  in  the  original  and  the 
renewal  term,  by  entry  of  new  editions  of  the  work,  and 
securing  copyright  on  the  same.  While  this  method  may 
not  protect  any  of  the  original  work  from  republication  by 
others,  it  enables  the  publishers  of  the  copyright  edition 
to  advertise  such  unauthorized  reprints  as  imperfect,  and 
without  the  authors  or  editor's  latest  revision  or  addi- 
tions. 

The  whole  number  of  entries  of  copyright  in  the  United 
States  since  we  became  a  nation  considerably  exceeds  a 
million  and  a  half.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  give  the  ag- 
gregate number  of  titles  of  publications  entered  for  copy- 
right in  each  year  since  the  transfer  of  the  entire  records 
to  Washington  in  1870. 

Copyrights  Registered  in  the  United  States, 

1870-1899. 

1874 16,283   1878 15,798 

1875 14,364   1879 18,125 

1876 14,882   1880 20.686 

1877....  15,758   1881. ..  .21,075 


1870.. 

.  .   5,600 

1871.. 

..12.688 

1872.. 

..14,164 

1873.. 

..15,352 

COPYRIGHT  AND   LIBILS.EIES.  411 

1882 22,918  1888 38,225  1894 62,762 

1883 25,273  1889. ..  .40,777  1895 67,572 

1884 26,893  1890 42,758  1896 72,470 

1885 28,410  1891 48,908  1897 74,321 

1886 31,241  1892 54,735  1898 76,874 

1887 35,083  1893 58,936  1899 86,492 


Total,   30   years,    1,079,445 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  this  great  number  of  copy- 
rights does  not  represent  books  alone.  Many  thousands 
of  entries  are  daily  and  weekly  periodicals  claiming  copy- 
right protection,  in  which  case  they  are  required  by  law 
to  make  entry  of  every  separate  issue.  These  include  a 
multitude  of  journals,  literary,  political,  scientific,  re- 
ligious, pictorial,  technical,  commercial,  agricultural,  sport- 
ing, dramatic,  etc.,  among  which  are  a  number  in  foreign 
languages.  These  entries  also  embrace  all  the  leading 
monthly  and  quarterly  magazines  and  reviews,  with  many 
devoted  to  specialties — as  metaphysics,  sociology,  law,  the- 
ology, art,  finance,  education,  and  the  arts  and  sciences 
generally.  Another  large  class  of  copyright  entries  (and 
the  largest  next  to  books  and  periodicals)  is  musical  com- 
positions, numbering  recently  some  20,000  publications 
yearly.  ]\ruch  of  this  property  is  valuable,  and  it  is 
nearly  all  protected  by  entry  of  copyright,  coming  from  all 
parts  of  the  Union.  There  is  also  a  large  and  constantly 
increasing  number  of  works  of  graphic  art,  com])rising 
engravings,  photographs,  photogravures,  chromos,  litho- 
graphs, etchings,  prints,  and  drawings,  for  which  copy- 
right is  entered.  The  steady  accuiiniliition  of  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  these  various  ])ictorial  illustrations  will  en- 
able the  government  at  no  distant  day,  without  a  dollar 
of  expense,  to  make  an  exiiibit  of  I  lie  ]-»rogrcps  of  tlu"  aria 
of  design  in  America,  which  will  be  highly  interesting  and 


412  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

instructive.  An  art  gallery  of  ample  dimensions  for  this 
purpose  is  provided  in  the  new  National  Library  building. 

It  remains  to  consider  briefly  the  principles  and  practice 
of  what  is  known  as  international  copyright. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  argument  for  copyright  at  all  in  the 
productions  of  the  intellect  which  is  not  good  for  its  exten- 
sion to  all  countries.  The  basis  of  copyright  is  that  all 
useful  labor  is  worthy  of  a  recompense;  but  since  all  hu- 
man thought  when  put  into  material  or  merchantable 
form  becomes,  in  a  certain  sense,  public  property,  the  laws 
of  all  countries  recognize  and  protect  the  original  o^\^le^s, 
or  their  assigns  to  whom  they  may  convey  the  right,  in  an 
exclusive  privilege  for  limited  terms  only.  Literary  prop- 
erty therefore  is  not  a  natural  right,  but  a  conventional 
one.  The  author's  right  to  his  manuscript  is,  indeed,  ab- 
solute, and  the  law  will  protect  him  in  it  as  fully  as  it  will 
guard  any  other  property.  But  when  once  put  in  type  and 
multiplied  through  the  printing-press,  his  claim  to  an  ex- 
clusive right  has  to  be  guarded  by  a  special  statute,  other- 
wise it  is  held  to  be  abandoned  (like  the  articles  in  a 
newspaper)  to  the  public.  This  special  protection  is  fur- 
nished in  nearly  all  civilized  countries  by  copyright  law. 

What  we  call  "copyright"  is  an  exclusive  right  to  mul- 
tiply copies  of  any  publication  for  sale.  Domestic  copy- 
right, which  is  all  we  formerly  had  in  this  country,  is 
limited  to  the  United  States.  International  copyright, 
which  has  now  been  enacted,  extends  the  right  of  Ameri- 
can authors  to  foreign  countries,  and  recognizes  a  parallel 
right  of  foreign  authors  in  our  own.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  constitutional  provision  Avhich  restrains  Congress  from 
granting  copyright  to  other  than  American  citizens. 
Patent  right,  coming  under  the  same  clause  of  the  Con- 
stitution, has  been  extended  to  foreigners.  Out  of  over  20,- 
000  patents  annually  issued,  about  2,500  (or  12  per  cent.) 


COPYEIGHT  AND  LIBRAEIES,  413 

are  issued  to  foreigners,  while  American  patents  are  simi- 
larly jDrotected  abroad.  If  we  have  international  patent 
right,  why  not  international  copyright?  The  grant  of 
power  is  the  same;  both  patent  right  and  copyright  are 
for  a  limited  time;  both  rights  during  this  time  are  ex- 
clusive; and  both  rest  upon  the  broad  ground  of  the  pro- 
motion of  science  and  the  useful  arts.  If  copyright  is 
justifiable  at  all,  if  authors  are  to  be  secured  a  reward  for 
their  labors,  they  claim  that  all  who  use  them  should  con- 
tribute equally  to  this  result.  The  principle  of  copyright 
once  admitted,  it  cannot  logically  be  confined  to  State 
lines  or  national  boundaries.  There  appears  to  be  no 
middle  ground  between  the  doctrine  of  common  property 
in  all  productions  of  the  intellect — which  leads  us  to  com- 
munism by  the  shortest  road — and  the  admission  that 
copyright  is  due,  while  its  limited  term  lasts,  from  all  who 
use  the  works  of  an  author,  wherever  found. 

Accordingly,  international  copyright  has  become  the 
policy  of  nearly  all  civilized  nations.  Tlie  term  of  copy- 
right is  longer  in  most  countries  than  in  the  United 
States,  ranging  from  the  life  of  the  author  and  seven  years 
beyond,  in  England,  to  a  life  term  and  fifty  years  addi- 
tional in  France  arid  Russia.  Copyright  is  thus  made  a 
life  tenure  and  something  more  in  all  countries  except  our 
own,  where  its  utmost  limit  is  forty-two  years.  This  may 
perhaps  be  held  to  represent  a  fair  average  lifetime,  reck- 
oned from  the  age  of  intellectual  maturity.  There  have 
not  been  wanting  advocates  for  a  perpetual  copyriglit,  to 
run  to  the  author  and  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  This 
was  urged  before  the  British  Copyright  Commission  in 
1878  by  loading  British  puljlishors,  but  tlie  term  of  copy- 
right is  hitherto,  in  all  nations,  limited  by  law. 

Only  brief  allusion  can  be  made  to  the  most  reofni  (and 
in  some  respects  most  important)  advance  stcj)  wliich  lias 


414  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS. 

been  taken  in  copyright  legislation  in  the  United  States. 
This  act  of  Congress  is  aimed  at  securing  reciprocal  pro- 
tection to  American  and  foreign  authors  in  the  respective 
countries  which  may  comply  with  its  provisions.  There 
is  here  no  room  to  sketch  the  hitherto  vain  attempt  to  se- 
cure to  authors,  here  and  abroad,  an  international  protec- 
tion to  their  writings.  SulHce  it  to  say  that  a  union  of 
interests  was  at  last  effected,  whereby  authors,  publishers 
and  manufacturers  are  supposed  to  have  secured  some 
measure  of  protection  to  their  varied  interests.  The 
measure  is  largely  experimental,  and  the  satisfaction  felt 
over  its  passage  into  law  is  tempered  by  doubt  in  various 
quarters  as  to  the  justice,  or  liberality,  or  actual  benefit 
to  authors  of  its  provisions.  What  is  to  be  said  of  a 
statute  which  was  denounced  by  some  Senators  as  a  long 
step  backward  toward  barbarism,  and  hailed  by  others  as 
a  great  landmark  in  the  progress  of  civilization? 

The  main  features  added  to  the  existing  law  of  copy- 
right by  this  act,  which  took  effect  July  1,  1891,  are  these: 

1.  All  limitation  of  the  privilege  of  copyright  to  citi- 
zens and  residents  of  the  United  States  is  repealed. 

2.  Foreigners  applying  for  copyright  are  to  pay  fees  of 
$1  for  record,  or  $1.50  for  certificate  of  copyright. 

3.  Importation  of  books,  photographs,  chromos  or  litho- 
graphs entered  here  for  copyright  is  prohibited,  except  two 
copies  of  any  book  for  use  and  not  for  sale. 

4.  The  two  copies  of  books,  photographs,  chromos  or 
lithographs  deposited  with  the  Librarian  of  Congress 
must  be  printed  from  type  set,  or  plates,  etc.,  made  in  the 
United  States.  It  follows  that  all  foreign  works  pro- 
tected by  American  copyright  must  be  wholly  manufac- 
tured in  this  country. 

5.  The  copyright  privilege  is  restricted  to  citizens  or 
subjects  of  nations  permitting  the  benefit  of  copyright  to 


COPYEIGHT  AXD   LIBILVRIES.  415 

Americans  on  substantially  the  same  terms  as  their  o^vn 
citizens,  or  of  nations  who  have  international  agreements 
providing  for  reciprocity  in  the  grant  of  copyright,  to 
which  the  United  States  may  at  its  pleasure  become  a 
party. 

6.  The  benefit  of  copyright  in  the  United  States  is  not 
to  take  effect  as  to  any  foreigner  until  the  actual  existence 
of  either  of  the  conditions  just  recited,  in  the  case  of  the 
nation  to  which  he  belongs,  shall  have  been  made  known 
by  a  proclamation  of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

One  very  material  benefit  has  been  secured  through  in- 
ternational copyright.  Under  it,  authors  are  assured  the 
control  of  their  own  text,  both  as  to  correctness  and  com- 
pleteness. Formerly,  republication  was  conducted  on  a 
"scramble"  system,  by  which  books  were  hastened  through 
the  press,  to  secure  the  earliest  market,  with  little  or  no 
regard  to  a  correct  re-production.  Moreover,  it  was  in 
the  power  of  the  American  publisher  of  an  English  book, 
or  of  a  British  publisher  of  an  American  one,  to  alter  or 
omit  passages  in  any  work  reprinted,  at  his  pleasure.  This 
license  was  formerly  exercised,  and  imperfect,  garbled, 
or  truncated  editions  of  an  author's  writings  were  issued 
without  his  consent,  an  outrage  against  which  interna- 
tional copyright  furnishes  the  only  preventive. 

Another  benefit  of  copyright  between  nations  has  been 
to  check  the  relentless  flood  of  cheap,  unpaid-for  fiction, 
wliich  formerly  poured  from  the  press,  submerging  the 
bftter  literature.  The  Seaside  and  other  libraries,  with 
their  miserable  type,  flimsy  paper,  and  ugly  form,  were 
an  injury  alike  to  the  eyesight,  to  the  taste,  and  in  many 
cases,  to  the  morals  of  the  community.  More  than  ninety 
per  cent,  of  these  wretched  "Libraries"  were  foreign 
novels.  An  avalanche  of  English  and  translated  French 
novels  of  the  "bigamy  school"  of  fiction  swept  over  the 


416  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL   READERS. 

land,  until  the  eut-tliroat  competition  of  publishers,  after 
exhausting  the  stock  of  unwholesome  foreign  literature, 
led  to  the  failure  of  numy  houses,  and  piled  high  the  coun- 
ters of  hook  ami  other  stores  with  bankrupt  stock.  Hav- 
ing at  last  got  rid  of  this  unclean  brood,  (it  is  hoped 
forever)  we  now  have  better  books,  produced  on  good 
paper  and  type,  and  worth  preserving,  at  prices  not  much 
above  those  of  the  trash  formerly  offered  us. 

At  the  same  time,  standard  works  of  science  and  litera- 
ture are  being  published  in  England  at  prices  which  tend 
steadily  toward  increased  j)opular  circulation.  Even  con- 
servative publishers  are  reversing  the  rule  of  small  editions 
at  high  prices,  for  larger  editions  at  low  prices.  The  old 
three-volume  novel  is  nearly  supplanted  by  the  one  vol- 
ume, well-printed  and  bound  book  at  five  or  six  shillings. 
Many  more  reductions  w^ould  follow  in  the  higher  class  of 
books,  were  not  the  measure  of  reciprocal  cop3Tight  thus 
far  secured  handicapped  by  the  necessity  of  re-printing  on 
this  side  at  double  cost,  if  a  large  American  circulation 
is  in  view. 

The  writers  of  America,  with  the  steady  and  rapid 
progress  of  the  art  of  making  books,  have  come  more  and 
more  to  appreciate  the- value  of  their  preservation,  in  com- 
plete and  unbroken  series,  in  the  library  of  the  govern- 
ment, the  appropriate  conservator  of  the  nation's  litera- 
ture. Inclusive  and  not  exclusive,  as  this  library  is  wisely 
made  by  law,  so  far  as  copyright  works  are  concerned,  it 
preserves  with  impartial  care  the  illustrious  and  the  ob- 
scure. In  its  archives  all  sciences  and  all  schools  of 
opinion  stand  on  equal  ground.  In  the  beautiful  and 
ample  repository,  now  erected  and  dedicated  to  literature 
and  art  through  the  liberal  action  of  Congress,  the  intel- 
lectual wealth  of  the  past  and  the  present  age  will  be 
handed  down  to  the  ages  that  are  to  follow. 


CHAPTER  24. 
Poetry  of  the  Library. 

The  Librarian's  Dream. 
1. 
He  sat  at  night  b}'  his  lonely  bed, 
With  an  open  book  before  him; 
And  slowly  nodded  his  wearj-  head, 
As  slumber  came  stealing  o'er  him. 

2. 
And  he  saw  in  his  dream  a  mighty  host 

Of  the  writers  gone  before, 
And  the  shadowj'  form  of  many  a  ghost 

Glided  in  at  the  open  door. 

3. 
Great  Homer  came  first  in  a  snow-white  shroud. 

And  Virgil  sang  sweet  by  his  side; 
Wliile  Cicero  thundered  in  accents  loud, 

And  Caesar  most  gravely  replied. 

4. 
Anacreon,  too,  from  his  rhythmical  lips 

The  honey  of  Hybla  distilled. 
And  Herodotus  suffered  a  partial  eclipse. 

While  Horace  with  music  was  filled. 

5. 
The  procession  of  ancients  was  brilliant  and  long. 

Aristotle  and  Plato  were  there, 
Thucydides,  t^jo,  and  Tacitus  strong. 

And  Plutarch,  and  Sappho  the  fair. 

6. 

Aristophanes  elbowed  gay  Ovid's  white  ghost. 

And  Euripides  Xcnojjlion  led, 
While  Propertius  laughed  loud  at  .Iuveiu»rt    jokes, 

And  Sophocles  r  se  from  tht-  diiul. 

(417) 


418  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

7. 
Then  followed  a  throng-  to  memory  dear, 

Of  writers  more  modern  in  age, 
Cervantes  and  Shakespeare,  who  died  the  same  year, 

And  Chaucer,  and  Bacon  the  sage. 

8. 
Immortal  the  laurels  that  decked  the  fair  throng. 

And  Dant«  moved  by  with  his  lyre, 
While  Montaigne  and  Pascal  stood  rapt  by  his  song, 

And  Boccaccio  paused  to  admire. 

9. 

Sweet  Spenser  and  Calderon  moved  arm  in  arm, 

While  Milton  and  Sidney  were  there, 
Pope,  Dryden,  and  Moliere  added  their  charm. 

And  Bunyan,  and  Marlowe  so  rare. 

10. 
Then  Gibbon  stalked  by  in  classical  guise. 

And  Hume,  and  Macaulay,  and  Froude, 
While  Darwin,  and  Huxley,  and  Tyndall  looked  wise, 

And  Humboldt  and  Comte  near  them  stood. 

11. 
Dean  Swift  looked  sardonic  on  Addison's  face, 

And  Johnson  tipped  Boswell  a  wink, 
Walter  Scott  and  Jane  Austen  hobnobbed  o'er  a  glasa, 

And  Goethe  himself  deigned  to  drink. 

12. 
Robert  Burns  followed  next  with  Thomas  Carlyle, 

Jean  Paul  paired  with  Coleridge,  too, 
While  De  Foe  elbowed  Goldsmith,  the  master  of  style, 

And  Fielding  and  Schiller  made  two. 

13. 
Rousseau  with  his  eloquent,  marvellous  style. 

And  Voltaire,  with  his  keen,  witty  pen, 
Victor  Hugo  so  grand,   though  repellent  the  while. 

And  Dumas  and  Balzac  again. 


POETEY  OF  THE  LIBRARY.  419 

14. 

Dear  Thackeray  came  in  his  happiest  mood, 

And  stayed  until  midnight  was  done, 
Bulwer-Lytton,  and  Reade,  and  King-sley  and   Hood, 

And  Dickens,  the  master  of  fun. 

15. 

George  Eliot,  too,  with  her  matter-full  page, 

And  Byron,  and  Browning,  and  Keats, 
While  Shelley  and  Tennyson  joined  youth  and  age, 

And  Wordsworth  the  circle  completes. 

16. 

Then  followed  a  group  of  America's  best, 

With  Irving,  and  Bryant,  and  Holmes, 
While  Bancroft  and  Motley  unite  witli  the  rest, 

And  Thoreau  mth  Whittier  comes. 

17. 

With  his  Raven  in  hand  dreamed  on  Edgar  Poe, 

And  Longfellow  sweet  and  serene. 
While  Prescott,  and  Ticknor,  and  Emerson  too, 

And  Hawthorne  and  Lowell  were  seen. 

18. 

While  thus  the  assembly  of  witty  and  wise 

Rejoiced  the  librarian's  sight, 
Ere  the  wonderful  vision  had  fled  from  his  ej'es. 

From  above  shone  a  heavenly  light: 

10. 

And  solemn  and  sweet  came  a  voice  from  the  skies, 

"All  battles  and  conflicts  are  done. 
The  temple  of  Knowledge  shall  open  all  eyes. 

And  law,  faith,  and  reason  are  one!" 

When  the  radiant  dawn   of  the  morning  broke, 
From  his  gloritjiis  di-cain  the  lil)r;iriaii  woke. 


420  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

TuE  Library. 

That  place  that  does  contain  my  books, 
My  books,  the  best  conipanious,  is  to  me, 
A  glorious  court,  where  hourly  I  converse 
With  the  old  sages  and  philosophers; 
And  sometimes,  for  variety  I  confer 
With  kings  and  emperors,  and  weigh  their  counsels. 

Beaumont  and  Fletcher. 


The  bard  of  every  age  and  clime. 

Of  genius  fruitful  and  of  soul  sublime. 

Who  from  the  glowing  mint  of  fancy  pours 

No  spurious  metal,  fused  from  common  ores. 

But  gold  to  matchless  purity  refined. 

And  stamped  with  all  the  Godhead  in  his  mind. 

Juvenal. 


Books,  w^e  know, 

Are  a  substantial  \%^orld,  both  pure  and  good; 
Round  these,  with  tendrils  strong  as  flesh  and  blood, 
Our  pastime  and  our  happiness  will  grow. 

WOT^DSWORTII. 


Quaint  Lines  on  a  Book-worm. 
The  Bokeworme  sitteth  in  his  celle, 
He  studyethe  all  alone, 
And  burnethe  oute  the  oile, 
'Till  ye  midnight  hour  is  gone 
Then  gethe  he  downe  upon  his  bedde, 
Ne  mo  watch  will  he  a-keepe, 
He  layethe  his  heade  on  ye  pillowe, 
And  eke  he  tryes  to  sleepe. 
Then  swyfte  there  cometh  a  vision  grimme, 
And  greetythe  him  sleepynge  fair, 
And  straighte  he  dreameth  of  grislie  dreames, 
And  dreades  fello^vne  and  rayre. 
"Wherefore,  if  cravest  life  to  eld 
Ne  rede  longe  uppe  at  night, 
lUit  go  to  bed  at  Curfew  bell 
And  ryse  wythe  mornynge's  lyte. 


POETRY    OF   THE    LIBRARY.  "i^l 

Ballade  of  the  Book-huntek. 

In  torrid  heats  of  late  July, 

In  March,  beneath  the  bitter  bise, 

He  book-hunts  while  the  loungers  fly, — 

He  book-hunts,  though  December  freeze; 

In  breeches  baggy  at  the  knees, 

And  heedless  of  the  public  jeers, 

For  these,  for  these,  he  hoards  his  fees, — 

Aldines,  Bodonis,  Elzevirs. 

No  dismal  stall  escapes  his  eye, 

He  turns  o'er  tomes  of  low  degrees, 

There  soiled  romanticists  may  lie, 

Or  Eestoration  comedies; 

Each  tract  that  flutters  in  the  breeze 

For  him  is  charged  with  hopes  and  fears. 

In  mouldy  novels  fanc}'  sees 

Aldines,  Bodonis,  Elzevirs. 

With  restless  eyes  that  peer  and  spy. 
Sad  ejes  that  heed  not  skies  nor  trees. 
In  dismal  nooks  he  loves  to  pry. 
Whose  motto  evermore  is  Spcs! 
But  ah!  the  fabled  treasure  flees; 
Grown  rarer  with  the  fleeting  years, 
In  rich  men's  shelves  they  take  their  ease,— 
Aldines,  Bodonis,  Elzevirs! 

Prince,  all  the  things  that  tease  and  please, — 
Fame,  hope,  wealth,  kisses,  jeers  and  tears, 

What  are  they  but  such  toys  as  these — 

Aldines,  Bodonis,  Elzevirs?  Andkew   Lwr;. 


'Tis  in  books  the  chief 

Of  all  perfections  to  be  jjlain  and  brief. 

Samuel  P.iti.kk. 

Of  all  those  arts  in  which  the  wise  excel, 
Nature's  chief  master-piece  is  writing  well. 

BUCKIN(!I1AM. 

Books  should  to  one  of  these  four  ends  conduce: 
For  wisdom,  piety,  delight,  or  use, 

Sm  .\in\-:   Dkniiam. 


422        a   book  foe  all  headers. 

My  Books. 

Oil,  happj'  he  who,  -wear^^  of  the  sound 

Of  throbbing  life,  can  shut  his  study  door, 

Like  Heinsius,  on  it  all,  to  find  a  store 

Of  peace  that  otherwise  is  never  found! 

Such  happiness  is  mine,  when  all  around 

My  dear  dumb  friends  in  groups  of  three  or  four 

Command  m^-  soul  to  linger  on  the  shore 

Of  those  fair  realms  where  they  reign  monarchs  crowned. 

To-day  the  strivings  of  the  world  are  naught, 

For  I  am  in  a  land  that  glows  with  God, 

And  I  am  in  a  path  b3^  angels  trod. 

Dost  ask  what  book  creates  such  heavenlj'  thought? 

Then  know  that  I  with  Dante  soar  afar. 

Till  earth  shrinks  slowly  to  a  tiny  star. 

J.  Williams 


Thoughts  in  a  Libkary. 

Speak  low!  tread  softlj^  through  these  halls; 

Here  genius  lives  enshrined; 
Here  reign  in  silent  majesty 

The  monarchs  of  the  mind. 

A  mighty  spirit  host  they  come 

From  every  age  and  clime; 
Above  the  buried  wrecks  of  years 

They  breast  the  tide  of  time. 

Here  shall  the  poet-s  chant  for  thee 

Their  sweetest,  loftiest  lays. 
And  prophets  wait  to  guide  thy  steps 

In  Wisdom's  pleasant  ways. 

Come,  with  these  God-anointed  kings 

Be  thou  companion  here; 
And  in  the  mighty  realm  of  mind 

Thou  shalt  go  forth  a  peer! 

Anne  C.  Lynch  Botta. 


POETRY  OF  THE  LIBRARY.  423 

Verses  in  a  Library. 
Give  me  that  book  whose  power  is  such 
That  I  forget  the  north  wind's  touch. 

Give  me  that  book  that  brings  to  me 
Forgetfulness  of  what  I  be. 

Give  me  that  book  that  takes  my  life 
In  seeming  far  from  all  its  strife. 

Give  me  that  book  wherein  each  page 
Destroys  my  sense  of  creeping  age. 

JoHK  Kendrick  Bangs. 


A  Book  by  the  Brook. 
Give  me  a  nook  and  a  book, 
And  let  the  proud  world  sijin  round; 
Let  it  scramble  by  hook  or  by  crook 
For  wealth  or  a  name  with  a  sound. 
You  are  welcome  to  amble  your  ways, 
Aspirers  to  place  or  to  glory; 
May  big  bells  jangle  your  praise, 
And  golden  i)ens  blazon  your  story; 
For  nic,  let  me  dwell  in  my  nook, 
Here  by  the  curve  of  this  brook, 
That  croons  to  the  tune  of  my  book: 
Whose  melody  wafts  me  forever 
On  the  waves  of  an  imseen  river. 

William  Freeland. 

The  love  of  learning,  the  sequestered  nooks, 
And  all  the  sweet  serenity  of  books. 

H.    W.    LONGI'KLLOW. 

Oh  for  a  booke  and  a  shady  nooke 

Eyther  in  door  or  out. 
With  the  greene  leaves  whispering  overhead. 

Or  the  streets  cryes  all  about: 
Where  I  male  reade  all  at  my  ease 

Both   of  the   newe  .and   olde. 
For  a  jollic  goode  bf)oke  whereon  to  looke 

Is  better  to  me  than  goldel 


424  A    BOOK    FOR   ALL    READERS. 

To  Daniel  Elzevik. 
{F)-um  the  Latin  of  Menage.) 
What  do  I  see!  Oh!  gods  divine 
And  Goddesses — this  Booli  of  mine — 
This  child  of  many  hopes  and  fears, 
Is  published  by  the  Elzevirs! 
Oh  Perfect  publishers  complete! 
Oh  dainty  volume,  new  and  neat! 
The  Paper  doth  outshine  the  snow, 
The  Print  is  blacker  than  the  crow, 
The  Title-page",  with  crimson  bright. 
The  vellum  cover  smooth  and  white. 
All  sorts  of  readers  to  invite; 
Ay,  and  will  keep  them  reading  still, 
Against  their  will,  or  with  their  will! 
Thus  what  of  grace  the  Khymes  may  lack 
The  Publisher  has  given  them  back, 
As  Milliners  adorn  the  fair 
"Whose  charms  are  something  skimp  and  spare. 

Oh  dulce  decus,  Elzevirs! 

The  pride  of  dead  and  dawning  years, 

How  can  a  poet  best  repay 

The  debt  he  owes  your  House  to-day? 

May  this  round  world,  while  aught  endures. 

Applaud,  and  buy,  these  books  of  yours. 

May  purchasers  incessant  pop, 

My  Elzevirs,  within  your  shop. 

And  learned  bards  salute,  with  cheers, 

The  volumes  of  the  Elzevirs, 

Till  your  renown  fills  earth  and  sky, 

Till  men  forget  the  Stephani, 

And  all  that  Aldus  wrought,  and  all 

Turnebus  sold  in  shop  or  stall. 

While  still  may  Fate's  (and  Binders')  shears 

Eespect,  and  spare,  the  Elzevirs! 


Blessings  be  with  them,   and  eternal  praise. 
Who  gave  us  nobler  loves  and  nobler  cares! 
The  Poets.  Avho  on  earth  have  made  us  heirs 
Of  truth  and  pure  delight  by  heavenly  lays. 

Wordsworth. 


POETRY   OF   THE    LIBRARY.  425 

Companions. 
But  books,  old  friends  that  ai*e  always  new, 
Of  all  good  things  that  Ave  know  are  best; 
They  never  forsake  us,  as  others  do, 
And  never  disturb  our  inward  rest. 
Here  is  truth  in  a  world  of  lies, 
And  all  that  in  man  is  great  and  wise! 
Better  than  men  and  women,  friend, 
That  are  dust,  though  dear  in  our  joj'  and  pain, 
Are  the  books  their  cunning  hands  have  penned, 
For  they  depart,  but  the  books  remain. 

EiCHARD  Henry  Stoddard. 

The  Paradox  of  Books. 

I'm  strange  contradictions;  I'm  new  and  I'm  old, 

I'm  often  in  tatters,  and  oft  decked  with  gold. 

Though  I  never  could  read,  yet  lettered  I'm  found; 

Though  blind,  I  enlighten;  though  loose,  I  am  bound. 

I'm  always  in  black,  and  I'm  always  in  white; 

I  am  grave  and  I'm  gay,  I  am  heavy  and  light. 

In  form  too  I  differ, — I'm  thick  and  I'm  thin; 

I've  no  flesh  and  no  bone,  yet  I'm  covered  with  skin; 

I've  more  points  than  the  compass,  more  stops  than  the  flute; 

I  sing  without  voice,  without  si^eaking  confute; 

I'm  English,  I'm  German,  I'm  French,  and  I'm  Dutch; 

Some  love  me  too  fondly,  some  slight  me  too  much; 

I  often  die  soon,  though  I  sometimes  live  ages. 

And  no  monarch  alive  has  so  many  pages. 

Hannah  Mo's'i. 


1  love  my  books  as  drinkers  love  their  wine; 
The  more  I  drink,  the  more  they  seem  divine; 
\Vith  joy  elate  my  soul  in  love  nms  o'er. 
And  each  fresh  draught  is  sweeter  than  before: 
Books  bring  me  friends  where'er  on  earth  I  be, — 
Solace  of  solitude,  l)onds  of  society. 

I  love  my  books!  they  are  companions  dear, 
Sfi'rling  ill  ■«'  i-t1'..  in  friend!-lii;>  most   sincevi;; 
Here  tiilk  I  witlj  the  wise  in  ages  gone, 


426  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

And  with  the  nobly  gifted  in  our  own: 

If  love,  joj',  laug-bter,  sorrow  please  my  mind, 

Love,  joy,  grief,  laughter  in  my  books  I  find. 

Francis  Bennooh. 


My  Library. 
All  round  the  room  my  silent  servants  wait, — 
My  friends  in  every  season,  bright  and  dim 
Angels  and  seraphim 

Come  down  and  murmur  to  me,  sweet  and  low. 
And  spirits  of  the  skies  all  come  and  go 
Early  and  late; 

From  the  old  world's  di%ane  and  distant  date. 
From  the  sublimer  few, 
Down  to  the  poet  who  but  yester-eve 
Sang  sweet  and  made  us  grieve, 
All  come,  assembling  here  in  order  due. 
And  here  I  dwell  %\-ith  Poesy,  my  mate. 
With  Erato  and  all  her  vernal  sighs, 
Great  Clio  with  her  victories  elate, 
Or  pale  Urania's  deep  and  starry  eyes. 
Oh  friends,  whom  chance  or  change  can  never  harm. 
Whom  Death  the  tyrant  cannot  doom  to  die, 
Within  whose  folding  soft  eternal  charm 
I  love  to  lie. 

And  meditate  upon  your  verse  that  flows, 
And  fertilizes  wheresoe'er  it  goes. 

Bryan  Waxleb  Procter. 


Rational  Madness. 

A  Song,  for  the  Lover  of  Curious  and  Rare  Books. 

Come,  boys,  fill  your  glasses,  and  fill  to  the  brim, 
Here's  the  essence  of  humor,  the  soul,  too,  of  whim! 
Attend  and  receive  (and  sure  'tis  no  vapour) 
A  "hap'  worth  of  wit  on  a  pennyworth  of  paper." 

Those  joys  which  the  Bibliomania  affords 

Are  felt  and  acknowledged  by  Dukes  and  by  Lords! 

And  the  finest  estate  Avould  be  offer'd  in  vain 

For  an  exemplar  bound  by  the  famed  Roger  Payne! 


POETRY  OF  THE   LIBRARY.  427 

To  a  proverb  goes  madness  with  love  hand  in  hand, 

But  our  senses  we  yield  to  a  double  command; 

The  dear  frenzy  in  Both  is  first  rous'd  by  fair  looks, — 

Here's  our  sweethearts,  my  boys!  not  forgetting  our  books  I 

Thus  our  time  may  we  pass  with  rare  books  and  rare  friends, 
Growing  wiser  and  better,  till  life  itself  ends: 
And  may  those  who  delight  not  in  black-letter  lore. 
By  some  obsolete  act  be  sent  from  our  shore! 


Ballade  of  True  Wisdom. 

While  others  are  asking  for  beautj'  or  fame, 

Or  praying  to  know  that  for  which  they  should  pray, 

Or  courting  Queen  Venus,  that  affable  dame, 

Or  chasing  the  Muses  the  weary  and  grey. 

The  sage  has  found  out  a  more  excellent  way — 

To  Pan  and  to  Pallas  his  incense  he  showers, 

And  his  humble  petition  puts  up  day  by  day, 

For  a  house  full  of  books,  and  a  garden  of  flowers. 

Inventors  may  bow  to  the  God  that  is  lame. 
And  crave  from  the  fire  on  his  stithy  a  ray; 
Philosophers  kneel  to  the  God  without  name, 
Like  tJie  people  of  Athens,  agnostics  are  they; 
The  hunter  a  fawn  to  Diana  will  slay. 
The  maiden  wild  roses  will  wreathe  for  the  Hours; 
But  the  wise  man  will  ask,  ere  libation  he  pay. 
For  a  house  full  of  books,  and  a  garden  of  flowers. 

Oh  grant  me  a  life  without  pleasure  or  blame 

(As  mortals  count  pleasure  who  rush  through  their  day 

With  a  speed  to  which  that  of  the  tempest  is  tame) 

O  grant  me  a  house  by  the  beach  of  a  bay, 

Where  the  waves  can  be  surly  in  winter,  and  play 

With  the  sea-weed  in  summer,  ye  bountiful  powers! 

And  V(\  leave  all  the  hurry,  the  noise,  and  the  fray, 

For  a  house  full  of  books,  and  a  garden  of  flowers. 

Envoy. 
Gods,  grant  or  withhold  it;  your  "yea"  and  your  "nay" 
Are  immutable,  heedless  of  outcry  of  ours: 


428 


A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 


Ihit  life  is  worth  living-,  and  here  avc  would  stoj- 
For  a  house  full  of  books,  and  a  garden  of  flowers. 

Andrew  T-\ns. 


The  Libhary. 

They  soothe  the  grieved,  the  stubborn  they  chac^iise. 

Fools  they  admonish,  and  confirm  the  wise: 

Their  aid  they  yield  to  all:  they  never  shun 

The  man  of  sorrow,  nor  the  wretch  undone: 

Unlike  the  hard,  the  selfish,  and  the  proud. 

They  fly  not  sullen  fi'om  the  suppliant  crowd; 

Nor  tell  to  various  people  various  things. 

But  show  to  subjects,  what  they  show  to  kings. 

Blest  be  the  gracious  Power,  who  taught  mankind 
To  stamp  a  lasting  image  of  the  mind! 

With  awe,  around  these  silent  walks  I  tread; 
These  are  the  lasting  mansions  of  the  dead:  — 
"The  dead!"  methinks  a  thousand  tongues  reply; 
"These  are  the  tombs  of  such  as  cannot  die! 
"Crown'd  with  eternal  fame,  they  sit  sublime, 
"And  laugh  at  all  the  little  strife  of  time." 

Lo,  all  in  silence,  all  in  order  stand. 

And  mighty  folios  first,  a  lordly  band; 

Then  quartos  their  Avell-order'd  ranks  maintain. 

And  light  octavos  fill  a  spacious  plain: 

See  yonder,  ranged  in  more  frequent  rows, 

A  humbler  band  of  duodecimos; 

While  undistinguished  trifles  swell  the  scene, 

The  last  new  play  and  fritter'd  magazine. 

Here  all  the  rage  of  controversy  ends, 
And  rival  zealots  rest  like  bosom  friends: 
An  Athanasian  here,  in  deep  repose. 
Sleeps  with  the  fiercest  of  his  Arian  foes; 
Socinians  here  with  Calvinists  abide. 
And  thin  partitions  angry  chiefs  divide; 
Here  wily  Jesuits  simple  Quakers  meet. 
And  Bellarmine  has  rest  at  Luther's  feet. 

George  Crabbe. 


poetry  of  the  library.         429 

Eternity  of  Poetry. 
For  deeds  doe  die,  however  noblie  donne, 
And  thoughts  do  as  themselves  decay; 
But  ^^^se  words,  taught  in  numbers  for  to  runne 
Recorded  by  the  Muses,  live  for  ay; 
Ne  may  with  storming  showers  be  washt  away, 
Ne  bitter  breathing  windes  with  harmful  blast, 
Nor  age,  nor  envie,  shall  them  ever  wast. 

Spenser. 


The  Old  Books. 
The  old  books,  the  old  books,  the  books  of  long  ago! 
Who  ever  felt  Miss  Austen  tame,  or  called  Sir  Walter  slow? 
We  did  not  care  the  worst  to  hear  of  human  sty  or  den; 
We  liked  to  love  a  little  bit,  and  trust  our  fellow-men. 
The  old  books,  the  old  books,  as  pure  as  summer  breeze! 
We  read  them  under  garden  boughs,  by  fire-light  on  our  knees, 
They  did  not  teach,  they  did  not  preach,  or  scold  us  Into  good; 
A  noble  spirit  from  them  breathed,  the  rest  was  understood. 

The  old  books,  the  old  books,  the  mother  loves  them  best; 
They   leave  no  bitter  taste  behind    to   haunt    the  youthful 

breast: 
They  bid  us  hope,  they  bid  us  fill  our  hearts  with  visions  fair; 
The}'  do  not  paralyze  the  will  with  problems  of  despair. 
And  as  they  lift  from  sloth  and  sense  to  follow  loftier  planes. 
And  stir  the  blood  of  indolence  to  bubble  in  the  veins: 
Inheritors  of  mighty  things,  who  o\\ti  a  lineage  high. 
We  feel  within  us  budding  wings  that  long  to  reach  the  sky: 
To  rise  above  the  commonplace,  and  through  the  cloud  to  soar, 
And  j(»in  the  loftier  company  of  grander  souls  of  yore. 

The  Spectatok. 


CHAPTER  25. 

Humors  of  the  Library.* 
Some  Thoughts  on  Classiitcation. 
By  Librarian  F.  M.  Cruiidai. 
Classification  is  vexation, 

Shelf-numbering  is  as  bad; 
The  rule  of  D 
Doth  puzzle  me; 
Mnemonics  drives  me  mad. 

Air — The  Lord  C  h  an  cellar' f>  Song. 
When  first  I  became  a  librarian, 

Sa^-s  I  to  myself,  says  I, 
I'll  learn  all  their  systems  as  fast  as  I  can. 

Says  I  to  myself,  says  I; 
The  Cutter,  the  Dewey,  the  Schwartz,  and  the  Poole, 
The  alphabet,  numeral,  mnemonic  rule, 
The  old,  and  the  new,  and  the  eclectic  school, 

Sajs  I  to  myself,  says  I. 

Class-numbers,  shelf-numbers,  book-numbers,  too, 

Says  I  to  myself,  says  I, 
I'll  study  them  all,  and  I'll  learn  them  clear  thro', 

Says  I  to  myself,  says  I; 
I'll  find  what  is  good,  and  what's  better  and  best. 
And  I'll  put  two  or  three  to  a  practical  test; 
And  then — if  I've  time — I'll  take  a  short  rest, 

Saj^s  I  to  myself,  says  I. 

But  art  it  is  long  and  time  it  doth  fly. 

Says  I  to  myself,  says  I, 
And  three  or  four  years  have  already  passed  by, 

Says  I  to  myself,  says  I; 
And  3'et  on  those  systems  I'm  not  at  all  clear. 
While  new  combinations  forever  appear, 
To  master  them  all  is  a  life-work,  I  fear, 

Says  I  to  myself,  says  I. 

*Mostly  from  the  Library  Journal,  New  York. 

(430) 


HUMORS  OF   THE   LIBRARY.  431 

Classification   in   a   Library   in   Western   New   York:      Gail 
Hamilton's  "Woolgathering,"  under  Agriculture. 


Book  asked  for.     "An  attack  philosopher  in  Paris." 
A  changed  title.     A  young  woman  went  into  a  library  the 
other  day  and  asked  for  the  novel  entitled  "She  combeth  not 
her  head,"  but  she  finally  concluded  to  take  "He  cometh  not, 
she  said," 


Labor-saving  devices.    The  economical  catalogue-maker  who 
thus   set  down   two   titles — 
"Mill  on  the  Floss," 
do.  Political  economy." 
has   a   sister  who   keeps   a   universal   scrap-book   into   which 
everything  goes,  but  which  is  carefully  indexed.    She,  too,  has 
a  mind  for  saving,  as  witness: 
"Patti,  Adelina. 
do.     Oyster." 


From  a  New  York  auction  catalogue: 

"267.     Junius  Stat  Nominis   Umbrii,   with  numerous  splen- 
did portraits." 


At  the  New  York  Free  Circulating  Library,  a  youth  of 
twenty  said  Shakespeare  made  him  tired.  "Why  couhin't  lie 
write  English  instead  of  indulging  in  that  thee  and  thou  busi- 
ness?" Miss  P>ra(ldon  he  pronounced  "a  daisj'".  A  pretty  lit- 
tle blue-eyed  fellow  "liked  American  history  best  of  all,"  but 
found  the  first  volume  of  Justin  Winsor's  history  too  much 
for  him.  "The  French  and  German  and  Hebrew  in  it  are  all 
right,  but  there's  Spanish  and  Italian  and  Latin,  and  I  don't 
know  those." 


A  gentleman  in  Paris  sent  to  the  bookbinder  two  volumes 
of  the  French  edition  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  The  title  in 
French  is  "L'Oncle  Tom,"  and  the  two  volumes  were  n'tumed 
tx>  liim  marked  on  their  backs: 

L'GncU',  I/Oncle, 

Tome  I.  Toin«'  FI. 


432 


A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

How  A  Bibliomaniac  Binds  His  Books. 

I'd  like  my  favorite  books  to  bind 
So  that  their  outward  dress 
To  every  bibliomaniac's  mind 
Their  contents  should  express. 

Napoleon's  life  should  glare  in  red, 
John  Calvin's  life  in  blue; 
Thus  they  would  typify  bloodshed 
And  sour  religion's  hue. 

The  Popes  in  scarlet  well  may  go; 
In  jealous  green,  Othello; 
In  gray.  Old  Age  of  Cicero, 
And  London  Cries  in  yellow. 

My  Walton  should  his  gentle  art 
In  salmon  best  express, 
And  Penn  and  Fox  the  friendly  hrarl 
In  quiet  drab  confess. 

Crimea's  warlike   facts   and   dates 
Of  fragrant  Russia  smell; 
The  subjugated  Barbary  States 
In  crushed  Morocco  dwell. 

But  oh!   that  one  I  hold  so  dear 
Should  be  arrayed  so  cheap 
Gives  me  a  qualm;  I  sadly  fear 
My  Lamb  must  be  half-sheep! 

Irving  Browne. 


In  a  Wisconsin  library,  a  young  lady  asked  for  the  "Life  of 
National  Harthorne"  and  the  "Autograph  on  the  breakfast 
table." 


'Have  you  a  poem  on  the  Victor  of  Manengo,  by  Anon?" 


Library  inquiry — "I  want  the  catalogue  of  temporary  liter- 
ature." 

Query — What  did  she  want? 

A  friend  proposes  to  put  Owen's  "Footfalls  on  the  Boun- 
daries of  Another  World"  in  Travels.     Shall  we  let  him? 


HUMORS   OF   THE   LIBRARY.  433 

A  poet,  in  Boston,  filled  out  an  application  for  a  volume 
of  Pope's  -works,  an  edition  reserved  from  circulation,  in  the 
following  tuneful  manner: 

"You  ask  me,  dear  sir,  to  a  reason  define 
Win'  you  should  for  a  fortnight  this  volume  resign 
To  my  care. — /  am  also  a  son  of  the  «i«e." 


A  worthy  Deutscher,  confident  in  his  mastery  of  the  English 
tongue,  sent  the  following  quaint  document  across  the  sea: 

"I  send  you  Avith  the  Post  six  numbers,  of  our  Allgemeine 
Militar-Zeitung,  which  is  published  in  the  next  year  to  the 
fifty  times.  Excuse  my  bath  english  I  learned  in  the  school 
and  I  forgot  so  much.  If  you  have  interest  to  german  An- 
tiquariatskataloge  I  will  send  to  you  some.  I  remain  how- 
ever yours  truly   servant." 


A  gentlemanly  stranger  once  asked  the  delivery  clerk  for 
"a  genealogy."  "What  one?"  she  asked.  "Oh!  any,"  he  said. 
"Well — Savage's?"     "No;   white  men." 


Said  Melvil  Dewey:  "To  my  thinking,  a  great  librarian 
must  have  a  clear  head,  a  strong  hand,  and,  above  all,  a  great 
heart.  Such  shall  be  greatest  among  librarians;  and,  when  I 
look  into  the  future,  1  am  inclined  to  think  that  most  of  the 
men  who  will  achieve  this  greatness  will  be  women." 


A  Library  Hymn. 
By  an  Assistant  Librarian. 
I  have  endeavored  to  clothe  the  dull  prose  of  the  usual  Li- 
brary'  Iliiles   with   the  mantle   of   poetry,   that   they   may   be 
more  attractive,   and   more   easily  remembered   by   the  great 
public  whom  we  serve. 

Gently,  reader,  gently  moving, 
Wij)e  your  feet  beside  the  door; 
Hush  your  voice  to  whispers  soothing, 
Take  yoiir  hat  ofF,  T  implore! 
Mark  your  number,  plainly,   riglitly, 
From  the  catalogue  you  see; 


434  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

With  the  card  projecting  slightly, 
Then  your  book  bring  unto  me. 

Quickly  ■working, 

With  no  shirking. 
Soon  another  there  will  be. 

If  above  two  weeks  you've  left  me, 
Just  two  cents  a  day  I'll  take, 
And,  unless  ni3'  mind's  bereft  me, 
Payment  you  must  straightway  make. 
Treat  your  books  as  if  to-morrow, 
Gabriel's  trump  would  surely  sound, 
And  all  scribbling-,  to  your  sorrow, 
'Gainst  jour  credit  would  be  found. 

Therefore  tear  not. 

Spot  and  wear  not 
All  these  books  so  neatly  bound. 

These  few  simple  rules  abiding, 
We  shall  always  on  you  smile: 
There  will  be  no  room  for  chiding, 
No  one's  temper  will  you  rile. 
And  when  Heaven's  golden  portals 
For  you  on  their  hinges  turn, 
With  the  books  for  all  immortals, 
There  will  be  no  rules  to  learn. 

Therefore  heed  them. 

Often  read  them, 
Lest  your  future  weal  you  spurn. 


Titles  of  Books  Asked  fob  by  written  Slips  in  a  jr'opuLAB 
Library. 

Aristopholus  translated  by  Buckley. 
Alfreri  Tragedus. 
Bertall  Lavie  Hors  De  Ches  Soi. 

Cooke  M.  C.  M.  A.  L.  L.  D.  their  nature  and  uses.    Edited  by 
Eev.  J.  M.  Berkeley  M.  A.  F.  R.  S.  (Fungi.) 
Caralus  Note  Book  (A  Cavalier's). 
Gobden  Club-Essays. 
Specie  the  origin  of  Darwin. 
An  Epistropal  Prayer  Book, 


HUMORS   OF   THE   LIBILVRY.  435 


Blunders  in  Cataloguing. 


Gasparin.     The  uprising  of  a  great  many  people. 
Hughes,  Tom.     The  scouring  of  the  White  House. 
Mayhew.     The   pheasant  boj-. 
Wind  in  the  lower  animals  (Mind.) 


Recent  Calls  for  Books  at  a  Western  Libbary, 
Account  of  Monte  Cristo. 
Acrost  the  Kontinent  by  Boles. 
Bula. 

Count  of  Corpus  Cristy. 
Dant's  Infernal  comedy. 
Darwin's  Descent  on  man. 
Feminine  Cooper's  works. 
Infeleese. 
Less  Miserable. 
Some  of  Macbeth's  writings. 
Something  in  the  way  of  friction. 
Squeal  to  a  book. 


In  Vol.  3  of  Laporte's  "Bibliographic  cont^emporaine,"  Dib- 
din's  famous  book  is  entered  thus:  "Bibliomania,  or  boock, 
madnss:   a  bibliographical  romance. .  .ilustrated  with  cats." 


A  well-known  librarian  writes: 

"The  Catalogue  of  the  Indiana  State  Library  for  the  year 
1859  has  long  been  my  wonder  and  admiration.  "Bank's  His- 
tory of  the  Popes"  appears  under  the  letter  B.  Strong  in  the 
historical  department,  it  offers  a  choice  between  the  "Life 
of  John  Tyler,  by  Harper  &  Brothers,"  "Memoirs  of  Moses 
Henderson,  by  Jewish  Philosophers,"  "Memoirs  and  Corres- 
pondence of  Viscount  Castlereach,  by  the  Marquis  of  Ix)ndon- 
derry,"  and  "Memoirs  of  Bcnvenuto,  by  (iellini."  In  fiction, 
you  may  find  "Tak-s  of  My  Landlord  by  Cleishbotham,"  and 
"The  Pilot,  by  the  Author  of  the  Pione4.'rs; "  while,  if  your  pas- 
sion for  plural  authorship  is  otherwise  unappeasable — if 
Beaumont  and  P^letcher  or  Erckman-Chatrian  seem  to  you  too 
feeble  a  combination  of  talents — you  may  well  be  captivated 
by  the  title  "Small  Arms,  by  the  United  States  Army." 


436  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

"The  State  of  Indiana  has  undoubtedly  learned  a  good 
many  things  since  1859;  but  whosoever  its  present  librarian 
may  be,  it  is  hardly  probable  that  its  highest  flight  in  bib- 
liogra])hy  has  surpassed  the  catalogue  from  which  the  above 
are   quoted." 


Books  demanded  at  a  certain  public  library: 
"The  Stuck-up  Minister" — (Stickit  Minister.) 
"From  Jessie  to  Ernest"  (Jest  to  Earnest). 


A  country  order  for  books  called  for  "The  Thrown  of 
David,"  "Echo  of  Hummo"  (Ecce  Homo)  and  "Echo  of  Deas" 
(Ecce  Deus). 


The  Nation  mentions  as  an  instance  of  "the  havoc  which 
types  can  make  with  the  titles  of  books,  that  a  single  cata- 
logue gives  us  'Clara  Reeve's  Old  English  Barn,'  'Swinburne's 
Century  of  Scoundrels,'  and  'Una  and  her  Papuse.'  But  this 
is  outdone  by  the  bookseller  who  offered  for  sale  "Balvatzky, 
Mi's.  Izis  unveiled."  Another  goddess  is  offended  in  "Transits 
of  Venice,  by  R.  A.  Proctor." 


In  a  certain  city,  an  examination  of  applicants  for  employ- 
ment in  the  public  library  was  held.  The  following  is  an  ex- 
act copy  of  the  answer  to  a  question,  asking  for  the 
title  of  a  work  written  by  each  of  the  authors  named:  "John 
Ruskin,  'The  Bread  Winners;'  William  H.  Prescott,  'The 
Frozen  Pirate;'  Charles  Darwin,  'The  Missing  Link;'  Thomas 
Carlj^le,  'Caesar's  Column.'  "  The  same  man  is  responsible  for 
saying  that  "  B.  C."  stands  for  the  Creation,  and  "A.  D."  for 
the  Deluge. 

Who  wants  this  bright  j'^oung  man? 


A  Stort  About  Stories. 

"AMien  A  Man's  Single,"  all  "Vanity  Fair" 
Courts  his  favor  and  smiles, 
And  feminine  "Moths"  "In  Silk  Attire" 
Try  on  him  "A  Woman's  Wiles." 


HUMORS   OF   THE   LIBRARY.  -137 

"The  World,  the  Flesh  and  the  Devil" 
Were  "Wormwood"  and  gall  to  me, 
Wear^'  and  sick  of  "The  Passing-  Show," 
No  "Woman's  Face"  was  "Fair  to  See." 

I  fled  away  to  "The  Mill  on  the  Floss" 
"Two  Years  Ago,"  "In  an  Evil  Hour," 
For  "The  Miller's  Daughter"  there  I  met, 
Who  "Cometh  Up  as  a  Flower." 

She  was  a  simple  "Rose  in  June," 

And  I  was  "An  Average  Man;" 

"We  Two"  were  "Far  From  the  Madding  Ci'owd" 

When  our  "Love  and  Life"  began. 

It  was  but  "A  Modern  Instance" 
Of  true  "Love's  Random  Shot," 
And  I,  "The  Heir  of  Redclyffe" 
Was  "Kidnapped":   and  "Why  Not"? 

We  cannot  escape  the  hand  of  "Fate," 
And  few  are  "Fated  to  be  Free," 
But  beware  of  "A  Social  Departure" — 
Y«u'll  live  "Under  the  Ban,"  like  me. 

I  tried  to  force  the  "Gates  Ajar" 
For  my  "Queen  of  Curds  and  Cream," 
But  "The  Pillars  of  Society" 
Shook  with  horror  at  my  "Dream," 

I  am  no  more  "A  Happy  Man," 
Though  blessed  with  "Heavenly  Twins," 
Because  "The  Wicked  World"  maintains 
"A  Low  Marriage"  the  worst  of  sins. 

"Pride  and  Prejudice"  rule  the  world, 

"A  Marriage  for  Love"  is  "A  Capital  Crime," 

Beware   of   "A  Country  Neighborhood" 

And  shun  "Mad  Love"  in  time. 


Says  the  Nation: 

A  Pliiladelphia  catalogue,  whose  compiler  m\ist  have  been 
more  iiiferested  in  current  events  than  in  his  task,  glTers  for 
sale   "Intrigues  of   the   Queen   of   Spain    with   McKinley,    the 


438  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

Prince  of  Peace,  Boston,  1809."  How  Godoy  should  become 
MoKinley,  or  McKinley  should  become  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
is  a  problem  for  psj'cholog-ists. 


Confusion  of  Knowledge. 

The  following  are  some  specimens  of  answers  to  Examina- 
tions of  candidates  for  Library  employment,  given  within 
the  past  five  jears: 

"A  sonnet  is  a  poem  which  is  adapted  to  music,  as  Petrarch's 
Bonnets";  "a  sonnet  is  a  short  poem  sometimes  and  sometimes 
a  long  one  and  generallj'  a  reflection,  or  thoughts  upon  some 
inanimate  thing,  as  Young's  'Night  thoughts.'  "  "An  epic  is  a 
critical  writing,  as  'Criticism  on  man'  ";  "an  epic  is  a  literary 
form  written  in  verse,  and  which  teaches  us  some  lesson  not 
necessarily  of  a  moral  nature";  "an  epic  is  a  dramatic  poem." 

Epigrammatic  writing  is  very  clearly  defined  as  "critical 
in  a  grammatical  way."  "Allegory  is  writing  highly 
colored,  as  Pope's  works";  "allegory  is  writing  of  something 
that  never  happened,  but  it  is  purelj'  imaginary,  often  a  wan- 
dering from  the  main  point."  A  common  mistake  regarding 
the  meaning  of  the  word  bibliography  results  in  such  answers 
as  "bibliography — a  study  of  the  Bible;"  or  "gives  the 
lives  of  the  people  in  the  Bible."  An  encyclopaedia 
was  aptly  defined  as  "a  storehouse  of  knowledge  for  the  en- 
lightenment of  the  public,"  while  another  answer  reads  "Book 
of  Books,  giving  the  life  of  famous  persons,  life  and  habits 
of  animals  and  plants,  and  some  medical  knowledge."  A  col- 
lection of  works  of  any  author  is  termed  "an  anthropology." 
"Anthology  is  the  study  of  insects."  Folklore  is  defined  as 
"giving  to  animals  and  things  human  sense";  an  elegy  means 
"a  eulogy,"  oratory,  "the  deliverance  of  words."  Belles-lettres 
is  to  one  applicant  "beautiful  ideas,"  to  another  "the  title 
of  a  book,"  to  another  "short  stories";  again  "are  the  letters 
of  French  writers,"  and  still  another  writes  "Frenc"h  for 
prominent  literature  and  light  literature."  A  concordance  "is 
the  explication  or  definition  of  something  told  in  a  simpler 
form,"  is  the  extremely  lucid  answer  to  one  question,  which 
was  answered  by  another  candidate  as  "a  table  of  reference  at 
back  of  book." 

The  titles  of  books   are  too   seldom  associated  with   their 


HUMORS   OF   THE   LIBR-\RY.  439 

authors'  names,  resulting  in  such  answers  as  "Homer  is  the 
author  of  the  Aeneid";  "Lalla  Rookh"  was  written  by  James 
Blackmore;  "Children  of  the  Abbey,"  by  Walter  Besant  (while 
another  attributed  it  to  Jane  Porter) :  "Bow  of  orange  Rib- 
bon," by  George  Meredith;  "Hon.  Peter  Stirling,"  by  Fielding; 
"Quo  Vadis,"  by  Browning;  "Pamela,"  by  Frank  Stockton 
(ax;cording  to  another  by  Marie  Edg^vorth) ;  "Love's  Labour's 
Lost,"  by  Bryant  (another  gives  Thomas  Eeade  as  the  author, 
while  still  another  guesses  Schiller) ;  "Descent  of  Man,"  by 
Alexander  Pope  (another  gives  Dryden) ;  "The  Essay  on 
Man,"  by  Francis  Bacon. 

One  candidate  believes  "Hudibras"  to  be  an  early  Saxon 
poem;  another  that  "Victor  Hugo's  best  known  work  is  Wil- 
liam Tell";  another  that  "Aesop's  Fables  is  a  famous  alle- 
gory." Charlotte  Bronte  is  described  a-s  an  "Amei-ican — 
nineteenth  century — children's  book."  Cicero  was  "kno\vn  for 
Latin  poetry."  "Dante  is  an  exceedingly  bitter  writer;  he 
takes  you  into  hell  and  describes  Satan  and  his  angels.  He 
wrote  his  play  for  the  stage."  Another's  idea  of  the  Divine 
Comedy  is  "a  play  which  could  be  acted  by  the  priests  on 
the  steps  of  a  church  for  the  benefit  of  the  poorer  class." 

Civil  service  in  the  mind  of  one  young  woman  was  "the  ser- 
vice done  bj'  the  government  in  a  country,  domesticly." 

A  Chri.stian  socialist  is  "an  advocate  of  Christian  science." 
"A  limited  monarch}'  is  a  kingdom  who.se  ruler  is  under  the 
ruler  of  another  country."  Legal  tender  is  "the  legal  rate  of 
interest";  another  considers  it  "Paper  money."  In  economics, 
some  of  the  answers  were  "profit-sharing,  a  term  used  in  so- 
cialism, the  rich  to  divide  among  the  poor."  "Monojxilies  is 
the  money  gained  by  selling  church  jiroperties";  while  "a 
trust  is  usually  a  place  where  a  person  puts  some  money 
where  it  will  be  safe  to  keep  it." 

About  noted  personages  and  historic  ovonis  and  ])lncrs  tlie 
answers  are  equally  startling.  "Molierc  was  a  French  essay- 
ist and  critic"  (also  "a  French  writer  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury,") Cecil  Bhodes,  "the  founder  of  Bryn  Mawr  College"; 
"Seth  Low — England,  eighteenth  century;"  Attila  "a  wom.in 
mentioned  in  the  Bible  for  her  great  cruelty  ir>  her  child;" 
Warren  TTastings  "was  a  German  soldier"  (also  "was  a  dis- 
coverer; died  about  1870");  "Nero  was  a  Roman  emperor  B.  C. 


440  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

450."  Pei'haps  the  most  unique  guess  in  this  line  was  "Rich- 
ard Wagner  invented  the  Wagner  cars;"  Abbotsford  is  "the 
title  of  a  book  by  Sir  Walter  Scott;"  "Vassar  College  is  a 
dream,  high-up  and  unattainable;"  "Tammany  Hall  is  a  po- 
litical meeting  place  in  London;"  "the  Parthenon,  an  art 
gallery  in  Athens." 

Podagog}'  seemed  one  of  the  most  perplexing  of  words.  It 
was  defined  by  one  as  "the  science  of  religion,"  by  another  as 
"learned  pomposity;"  but  the  most  remarkable  of  all  was 
"pedagogy  is  the  study  of  feet." 


Song  of  Some  Library  School  Scholars. 

Three  little  maids  from  school  are  we, 
Filled  to  the  brim  with   economy — 
Not  of  the  house  but  library. 
Learnt  in  the  Library  School 

1st   Maid — I    range    my    books   from   number   one. 

2nd  Maid — Alphabetically  I've  begun. 

3rd  Maid — In  regular  classes  mine  do  run. 

All — Three  maids  from  the  Library  School. 

All — Three  little  maidens  all  unwarj-. 
Each  in  charge  of  a  library. 
Each  with  a  system  qiiite  contrary 
To  every  other  school. 

Our  catalogues,  we  quite  agree. 
From  faults  and  errors  must  be  free, 
If  only  we  our  way  can  see 
To  find  the  proper  rule. 


Boy's  remark  on  returning  a  certain  juvenile  book  to  the 
library:  "I  don't  want  any  more  of  them  books.  The  girls 
is  all  too  holj'." 


"Half  the  books  in  this  library  are  not  worth  reading,"  said 
a  sour-visaged,  hypercritical,  novel-satiated  woman. — "Read 
the  other  half,  then,"  advised  a  bystander. 


POETRY   OF  THE   LIBRARY. 

The  Woes  of  a  Librarian. 

Let  us  give  a  brief  rehearsal 
Of  the  learning'  universal, 
Which  men  expect  to  find 
In  Librarians  to  their  mind. 

He  must  undergo  probation, 

Before  he  gets  a  situation; 

Must  begin  at  the  creation, 

When  the  world  was  in  formation, 

And  come  dowm  to  its  cremation. 

In  the  final  consummation 

Of  the  old  world's  final  spasm: 

He  must  study  protoplasm. 

And  bridge  over  every  chasm 

In  the  origin  of  species. 

Ere  the  monkey  wore  the  breeches, 

Or  the  Simian  tribe  began 

To  ascend  from  ape  to  man. 

He  must  master  the  cosmology. 
And  know  all  about  pyschology, 
And  the  w'onders  of  biology, 
And  be  deep  in  ornithology. 
And  develop  ideology, 
With  the  aid  of  craniology. 
He  must  learn  to  teach  zoology, 
And  be  skilled  in  etymology. 
And  the  science  of  philology. 
And  calculate  chronology, 
While  he  digs  into  geology. 
And  treats  of  entomology. 
And  hunts  up  old  mythology. 
And  dips  into  theology, 
And  g"rows  wise  in  sociology. 
And  expert  in  anthropology. 

He  must  also  know  geography. 
And  the  best  works  on  ])hotography. 
And  the  science  of  stenogra[)hy. 
And  be  well  up  on  cosmography. 
And  the  secretes  of  cryptography. 
Must  intcri)ri't  blind  diirography, 


Ml 


442  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    UKADERS. 

Know  bj'  heart  all  mens'  biography, 
And  the  black  art  of  typography, 
And  every  book  in  bibliography. 

These   things   are   all   essential 
And  highly  consequential. 

If  he's  haunted  by  ambition 

For  a  library  position. 

And  esteems  it  a  high  mission, 

To  aspire  to  erudition; 

He  will  find  some  politician 

Of  an  envious  disposition, 

Getting  up  a  coalition 

To  seciire  his  non-admission. 

And  send  him  to  perdition, 

Before  he's  reached  fruition. 

If  he  gets  the  situation, 
And  is  full  of  proud  elation 
And  of  fond  anticipation, 
And  has  in  contemplation 
To  enlighten  half  the  nation. 
He  may  write  a  dissertation 
For  the   public   information 
On  the  laws  of  observation, 
And  the  art  of  conversation. 

He  must  know  each  famed  oration, 

And  poetical  quotation, 

And  master  derivation, 

And  the  science  of  translation. 

And  complex  pagination. 

And  perfect  punctuation. 

And  binomial  equation. 

And  a<>curate  computation, 

And  boundless  permutation, 

And  infinite  gradation, 

And  the  craft  of  divination. 

And  Scripture  revelation. 

And  the  secret  of  salvation. 

He  must  know^  the  population 
Of  everj'   separate  nation, 


A   BOOK    FOR   ALL   READERS.  443 

The  amount  of  immigration, 
And  be  wise  in  arbitration, 
And  the  art  of  navigation, 
And  colonial  annexation. 
And  problems  Australasian. 

He  must  take  his  daily  ration 
Of  catalogue  vexation, 
And  endless  botheration 
With  ceaseless  complication 
Of  decimal  notation, 
Or  Cutter  combination. 

fTo  complete  his  education. 
He  must  know  the  valuation 
Of  all  the  publications 
Of  manj"^  generations. 
With  their  endless  variations. 
And  true  interpretations. 

When  he's  spent  a  life  in  learning. 

If  his  lamp  continues  burning. 

When  he's  mastered  all  philosophy, 

And  the  science  of  theosophy. 

Grown  as  learned  as  Mezzofanti, 

As  poetical  as  Dante, 

As  wise  as  Magliabecchi 

As  profound  as  Mr.  Lecky — 

Has  absorbed  more  kinds   of  knowledge 

Than  are  found  in  any  college; 

He  maj'  take  his  full  degree 

Of  Ph.  or  LL.  D. 

And  prepare  to  pass  the  portal 

That  leads  to  life  immortal. 


CHAPTER  26. 
Eare  Books. 

There  is  perhaps  no  field  of  inquir}'  concerning  litera- 
ture iu  which  so  large  an  amount  of  actual  niis-inforniation 
or  of  ignorance  exists  as  that  of  the  rarity  of  many  books. 
The  makers  of  second-hand  catalogues  are  responsible  for 
much  of  this,  in  describing  the  books  which  they  wish  to 
sell  as  "rare/'  "very  scarce,"  etc.,  but  more  of  it  proceeds 
from  absolute  ignorance  of  the  book-markets  of  the  world. 
1  have  had  multitudes  of  volumes  offered  for  sale  whose 
commercial  value  was  hardly  as  many  cents  as  was  de- 
manded in  dollars  by  their  ill-informed  owners,  who  fan- 
cied the  commonest  book  valuable  because  they  "had  never 
seen  another  copy."  No  one's  ideas  of  the  money  value  of 
any  book  are  w^orth  anything,  unless  he  has  had  long  ex- 
perimental knowledge  of  the  market  for  books  both  in 
America  and  in  Europe. 

What  constitutes  rarity  in  books  is  a  question  that  in- 
volves many  particulars.  Thus,  a  given  book  may  be  rare 
in  the  United  States  which  is  abundant  in  London ;  or  rare 
in  London,  when  common  enough  in  Germany.  So  books 
may  be  rare  in  one  age  which  were  easily  found  in  another : 
and  again,  books  on  certain  subjects  may  be  so  absorbed 
by  public  demand  when  events  excite  interest  in  that  sub- 
ject, as  to  take  up  most  of  the  copies  in  market,  and  en- 
hance the  price  of  the  remainder.  Thus,  Napoleon's  con- 
quering career  in  Egypt  created  a  great  demand  for  all 
books  on  Egypt  and  Africa.  The  scheme  for  founding  a 
great  French  colony  in  Louisiana  raised  the  price  of  all 
books  and  pamphlets  on  that  region,  which  soon  after  fell 

(444) 


RARE   BOOKS.  445 

mto  the  possession  of  the  United  States.  President  Lin- 
coln's assassination  caused  a  demand  for  all  accounts  of  the 
mnrder  of  the  heads  of  nations.  Latterly,  all  books  on 
Cuba,  the  West  Indies,  and  the  Philippines  have  been  in 
unprecedented  demand,  and  dealers  have  raised  the  prices, 
which  will  again  decline  after  the  recent  public  interest  in 
them  has  been  supplanted  by  future  events. 

There  is  a  broad  distinction  to  be  drawn  between  books 
which  are  absolutely  rare,  and  those  which  are  only  rela- 
tively scarce,  or  which  become  temporarily  rare,  as  just  ex- 
plained. Thus,  a  large  share  of  the  l)ooks  pu])lished  in 
the  infancy  of  printing  are  rare;  nearly  all  which  appeared 
in  the  quarter  century  after  printing  began  are  very  rare; 
and  several  among  these  last  are  superlatively  rare.  I  may 
instance  the  Mazarin  Bible  of  Gutenberg  and  Schoeffer 
(1455?)  of  which  only  twenty-four  copies  are  known, 
nearly  all  in  public  libraries,  where  they  ought  to  be;  the 
Mentz  Psalter  of  the  same  printers,  1457,  the  first  book 
over  printed  with  a  date;  and  the  first  edition  of  Livy, 
Pome  [14C9]  the  only  copy  of  which  printed  on  vellum 
is  in  the  British  Museum  Library. 

One  reason  of  the  scarcity  of  books  emanating  from  the 
presses  of  the  fifteenth  century  is  that  of  many  of  them 
the  editions  consisted  of  only  two  hundred  to  three  hun- 
dred copies,  of  which  the  large  number  absorbed  in  public 
libraries,  or  destroyed  by  use,  fire  or  decay,  left  very  few  in 
the  hands  of  booksellers  or  private  persons.  Still,  it  is  a 
great  mistake  to  infer  that  all  books  printed  before  A.  D. 
1500  are  rare.  The  editions  of  many  were  large,  especially 
after  about  1480,  many  were  reprinted  in  several  editions, 
find  of  such  incunabula  copies  can  even  now  be  picked  up 
f)n  the  continent  at  very  low  prices. 

Contrary  to  a  wide-spread  belief,  mere  age  adds  very 
little  to  the  value  of  any  book,  and  oft-times  nothing  at 


446  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

all.  All  librarians  are  pestered  to  bu}'  "hundred  year  old" 
treatises  on  tlieolop;y  or  jiliilosophy,  as  dry  as  the  desert  of 
Sahara,  on  the  ground  that  they  are  Loth  old  and  rare, 
whereas  such  books,  two  hundred  and  even  three  hundred 
years  old,  swarm  in  unsalable  masses  on  the  shelves  of  Lon- 
don and  provincial  Iwoksellers  at  a  few  pence  per  volume. 
The  reason  that  they  are  comparatively  rare  in  this  coun- 
try is  that  nobody  wants  them,  and  so  they  do  not  get  im- 
ported. 

A  rare  book  is,  strictly  speaking,  only  one  which  is  found 
with  difficulty,  taking  into  view  all  the  principal  book 
markets  of  various  countries.  Very  few  books  printed 
since  1650  have  any  peculiar  value  on  account  of  their  age. 
Of  many  books,  both  old  and  new,  the  reason  of  scarcity  is 
that  only  a  few  copies  actually  remain,  outside  of  public 
libraries,  and  these  last,  of  course,  are  not  for  sale.  This 
scarcity  of  copies  is  produced  by  a  great  variety  of  causes, 
most  of  which  are  here  noted. 

(1)  The  small  number  of  the  books  originally  printed 
leads  to  rarity.  This  is  by  no  means  peculiar  to  early  im- 
pressions of  the  press:  on  the  contrary,  of  some  books 
printed  only  last  year  not  one  tenth  as  many  exist 
as  of  a  multitude  of  books  printed  four  centuries  ago. 
Not  only  privately  printed  books,  not  designed  for  publi- 
cation, but  some  family  or  personal  memoirs,  or  original 
works  circulated  only  among  friends,  and  many  other  pub- 
lications belong  to  this  class  of  rarities.  The  books  print- 
ed at  private  presses  are  mostly  rare.  Horace  Walpole's 
Strawberry  Hill  press  produced  some  thirty  works  from 
1757  to  1789,  in  editions  varying  from  fifty  to  six  hundred 
copies.  The  Lee  Priory  press  of  Sir  E.  Brydges  printed 
many  literary  curiosities,  none  of  which  had  more  than 
one  hundred  impressions.  Most  of  the  editions  of  the 
Shakespearean  and  other  critical  essays  of  J.  0.  Halliwell- 


RARE   BOOKS.  447 

Phillipps  were  limited  to  forty  copies,  or  even  less.  The 
genealogical  and  heraldic  imprints  of  Sir  Thomas  Phil- 
lipps, at  the  Middle  Hill  press,  1819-59,  numbering  some 
hundreds  of  different  works,  were  mostly  confined  to  twen- 
ty copies  each,  and  some  to  only  six  copies.  Some  of  them 
are  as  rare  as  many  manuscripts,  of  which  several  copies 
have  been  made,  and  sell  at  prices  dictated  by  their  scarci- 
ty. Most  of  them  are  in  the  Library  of  Congress.  The 
Kelmscott  press  of  William  Morris  printed  in  sumptuous 
style,  improved  upon  the  finest  models  of  antique  typogra- 
phy, a  number  of  literary  works,  which  now  bring  enhanced 
prices.  Of  the  many  historical  and  literary  publications  of 
the  Roxburghe  Club,  the  Percy  Society,  the  Maitland,  the 
Abbotsford,  and  the  Bannatyne  Clubs  abroad,  only  thirty 
to  one  hundred  copies  were  printed.  Of  those  of  the  Prince 
Society,  the  Grolier  Club,  and  others  in  America,  only 
from  150  to  300  copies  were  printed,  being  for  subscribers 
only.  Parity  and  enhanced  prices  necessarily  result  in  all 
these  cases.  Of  some  books,  only  five  to  ten  copies  have 
been  printed,  or  else,  out  of  fifty  or  more  printed, 
all  but  a  very  few  have  been  ruthlessly  destroyed,  in  order 
to  give  a  fanciful  value  to  the  remainder.  In  these  ex- 
treme instances,  the  rarity  commonly  constitutes  almost 
the  sole  value  of  the  work. 

(2)  Even  where  many  copies  have  been  printed,  the  de- 
struction of  the  greater  part  of  the  edition  lias  rendered 
the  book  very  rare.  Printing  offices  and  book  binderies 
are  peculiarly  subject  to  fires,  and  many  editions  have  thus 
been  consumed  before  more  tlian  a  few  copies  have  been 
issued.  The  great  theological  libraries  edited  by  the  Abb6 
J.  P.  ^rigne,  the  Patrolor/ie  Grecque,  ct  Lnlinc,  owe  their 
scarcity  and  advanced  prices  to  a  fire  wliieli  consumed  the 
entire  remainder  of  the  edition.  All  tlic  copies  of  a  large 
edition  of  "Twenty  years  among  our  savage  Indians,"  by 


448  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL    KEADERS. 

J.  L.  Humfreville,  ■were  ilestro3'ed  by  fire  in  a  Hartford 
{)rinting  ollice  in  1899^  except  two,  which  had  been  de- 
posited in  the  Library  of  Congress,  to  secure  the  copyriglit. 
The  whole  edition  of  the  Machina  coelestis  of  Hevelius  was 
burned,  except  the  few  copies  Avhich  the  author  had  pre- 
sented to  friends  before  the  fire  occurred.  The  earlier 
issues  in  Spanish  of  the  Mexican  and  Peruvian  presses 
prior  to  1600  are  exceedingly  rare.  And  editions  of  booki? 
printed  at  places  in  the  United  States  where  no  books  are 
now  published  are  sought  for  their  imprint  alone  and 
seldom  found. 

(3)  Many  books  have  become  rare  because  proscribed 
and  in  part  destroyed  by  governmental  or  ecclesiastical 
authority.  This  applies  more  especially  to  the  ages  that 
succeeded  the  application  of  printing  to  the  art  of  multi- 
plying books.  The  freedom  of  many  winters  upon  polit- 
tics  and  popular  rights  led  to  the  suppression  of  their 
books  by  kings,  emperors  or  parliaments.  At  the  same 
time,  books  of  church  history  or  doctrinal  theology  which 
departed,  in  however  slight  a  degree,  from  the  standard  of 
faith  proclaimed  by  the  church,  were  put  in  the  Index 
Expurgatorius,  or  list  of  works  condemned  in  whole  or  in 
part  as  heretical  and  unlawful  to  be  read.  A  long  and  mel- 
ancholy record  of  such  proscriptions,  civil  and  ecclesiasti- 
cal, is  found  in  Gabriel  Peignot's  two  volumes — Diction- 
naire  des  livres  condamnes  au  feu,  supprimes,  ou  censures, 
etc.  "Works  of  writers  of  genius  and  versatile  ability  were 
thus  proscribed,  until  it  gave  rise  to  the  sarcasm  among  the 
scholars  of  Europe,  that  if  one  wanted  to  find  what  were 
the  books  best  worth  reading,  he  should  look  in  the  Index 
Expurgatorius.  It  appears  to  have  been  quite  forgotten 
by  those  in  authority  that  persecution  commonly  helps 
the  cause  persecuted,  and  that  the  best  way  to  promote  the 
circulation  of  a  book  is  to  undertake  to  suppress  it.     This 


RAEE   BOOKS.  -149 

age  finds  itself  endowed  with  so  many  heretics  that  it  is  no 
longer  possible  to  find  purchasers  at  high  prices  for  books 
once  deemed  unholy.  Suppressed  passages  in  later  editions 
lead  to  a  demand  for  the  uncastrated  copies  which  adds 
an  element  of  enhanced  cost  in  the  market. 

(4)  Another  source  of  rarity  is  the  great  extent  and  cost 
of  many  works,  outrunning  the  ability  of  most  collectors 
to  buy  or  to  accommodate  them  on  their  shelves.  These 
costly  possessions  have  been  commonly  printed  in  limited 
numbers  for  subscribers,  or  for  distribution  by  govern- 
ments under  whose  patronage  they  were  produced.  Such 
are  some  of  the  notable  collections  of  early  voyages,  the 
great  folios  of  many  illustrated  scientific  works  on  natural 
history,  local  geography,  etc.  That  great  scholar.  Baron 
von  Humboldt,  used  jocosely  to  say  that  he  could  not  afford 
to  own  a  set  of  his  own  works,  most  of  which  are  folios 
sumptuously  printed,  with  finely  engraved  illustrations. 
The  collection  known  as  the  "Grands  et  pctits  Voyages"  of 
De  Bry,  the  former  in  13  volumes,  relating  to  America,  and 
finely  illustrated  with  copper-plates  produced  in  the 
highest  style  of  that  art,  are  among  the  rarest  sets  of  books 
to  find  complete.  The  collection  of  voyages  by  Hulsius  is 
equally  difficult  to  procure.  A  really  perfect  set  of  Pira- 
nesi's  great  illustrated  work  on  the  art  and  arcliitecture  of 
ancient  Rome  is  very  difficult  to  acquire.  The  Acta  Sanc- 
torum, in  the  original  edition,  is  very  seldom  found.  But 
there  is  no  room  to  multiply  examples. 

(5)  AVbat  adds  to  tlie  rarity  and  cost  of  certain  Ijooks 
is  the  peculiarly  expensive  style  or  condition  in  which  they 
are  produced  or  preserved.  Some  few  copies  of  an  edition, 
for  example,  are  printed  on  vellum,  or  on  Cliina  or  India 
or  other  choice  paper,  in  colored  ink  or  bronze,  on  colored 
paper,  (rose-tinted,  or  green,  blue  or  yellow,)  on  Inrge 
paper,  with  broad  margins,  etc.    Uncut  copies  always  fetch 


450  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

a  higlier  price  than  those  whose  edges  are  trimmed  down 
ill  binding.  To  some  book-collecting  amateurs  cut  edges 
are  an  abomination.  They  will  pay  more  for  a  book  "in 
sheets/'  whicli  they  can  bind  after  their  own  taste,  than  for 
the  finest  copy  in  calf  or  morocco  with  gilt  edges.  Some 
books,  also,  are  exceptionally  costly  because  bound  in  a 
style  of  superior  elegance  and  beauty,  or  as  having  be- 
longed to  a  crowned  head  or  a  noble  person,  ("books  with  a 
pedigree'')  or  an  eminent  author,  or  having  autographs  ol 
notable  characters  on  the  fly-leaves  or  title-pages,  or  origi- 
nal letters  inserted  in  the  volume.  Others  still  are  "extra- 
illustrated"  works,  in  which  one  volume  is  swelled  to  sev- 
eral by  the  insertion  of  a  multitude  of  portraits,  auto- 
graphs, and  engravings,  more  or  less  illustrative  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  book.  This  is  called  "Grangerising,"  from 
its  origin  in  the  practice  of  thus  illustrating  Granger's  Bio- 
graphical History  of  England.  Book  amateurs  of  expen- 
sive tastes  are  by  no  means  rare,  especially  in  England, 
France,  and  America,  and  the  great  commercial  value 
placed  upon  uncut  and  rarely  beautiful  books,  on  which 
the  highest  arts  of  the  printer  and  book-binder  have  been 
lavished,  evinces  the  fact. 

(6)  The  books  emanating  from  the  presses  of  famous 
printers  are  more  sought  for  by  collectors  and  libraries 
than  other  publications,  because  of  their  superior  excel- 
lence. Sometimes  this  is  found  in  the  beauty  of  the  type, 
or  the  clear  and  elegant  press-work;  sometimes  in  the 
printers'  marks,  monograms,  engraved  initial  letters,  head 
and  tail-pieces,  or  other  illustrations;  and  sometimes  in  the 
fine  quality  of  the  choice  paper  on  which  the  books  are 
printed.  Thus,  the  productions  of  the  presses  of  Aldus, 
Giunta,  Bodoni,  Etienne,  Elzevir,  Froben,  Gutenberg, 
Fust  and  Schoeffer,  Plantin,  Caxton,  Wynkyn  de  "Worde, 
Bulmer,  Didot,  Baskerville,  Pickering,  Whittingham,  and 


EAHE   BOOKS.  451 

others,  are  always  in  demand,  and  some  of  the  choicer 
specimens  of  their  art,  if  in  fine  condition,  bring  great 
prices  in  the  second-hand  book-shops,  or  the  auction  room. 
An  example  of  Caxton's  press  is  now  almost  unattainable, 
except  in  fragmentary  copies.  There  are  known  to  be  only 
about  560  examples  of  Caxtons  in  the  world,  four-fifths 
of  which  are  in  England,  and  thirty-one  of  these  are 
unique.  His  "King  Arthur"  (1485)  brought  £1950  at 
auction  in  1885,  and  the  Polychronicon  (1482)  was  sold  at 
the  Ives  sale  (K  Y.)  in  1891,  for  $1,500. 

(7)  In  the  case  of  all  finely  illustrated  works,  the  earlier 
impressions  taken,  both  of  text  and  plates,  are  more  rare, 
and  hence  more  valuable,  than  the  bulk  of  the  edition. 
Thus,  copies  with  "proofs  before  letters"  of  the  steel  en- 
gravings or  etchings,  sometimes  command  more  than 
double  the  price  of  copies  having  only  the  ordinary  plates. 
Each  added  impression  deteriorates  a  little  the  sharp, 
clear  outlines  and  brilliant  impressions  which  are  peculiar 
to  the  first  copies  printed. 

(8)  Of  some  books,  certain  volumes  only  are  rare,  and 
very  costly  in  consequence.  Thus,  Burk's  History  of  Vir- 
ginia is  common  enough  in  three  volumes,  but  volume  4 
of  the  set,  by  Jones  and  Girardin,  (1816,)  is  exceedingly 
rare,  and  seldom  found  with  the  others.  The  fifth  and  last 
volume  of  Bunsen's  Egypt's  Place  in  Universal  History 
is  very  scarce,  while  the  others  are  readily  procured.  Of 
Pe  Bry's  Voyages,  the  13th  or  final  part  of  the  American 
voyages  is  so  rare  as  to  Ije  quite  unattainable,  unless  after 
long  years  of  search,  and  at  an  unconscionable  price. 

(9)  The  condition  of  any  book  is  an  unfailing  factor  in 
its  price.  Many,  if  not  most  books  odered  by  sccond-liand 
dealers  are  shop-worn,  soiled,  or  with  broken  l)in(lings,  or 
some  other  defect.  A  pure,  clean  copy,  in  bandsome  con- 
dition without  and  wiihin,  eomniands  invariably  an  extra 


452  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

price.  Thus  the  noted  NurcniLerg  Chronicle  of  1493,  a 
huge  portly  folio,  with  2,250  wood-cuts  in  the  text,  many 
of  them  by  Albert  Diirer  or  other  early  artists,  is  priced 
ill  London  catalogues  all  the  way  from  £7.15  up  to  £35,  for 
identically  the  same  edition.  The  difference  is  dependent 
wholly  on  the  condition  of  the  copies  offered.  Here  is  part 
of  a  description  of  the  best  copy :  "i^uremberg  Chronicle, 
by  Schedel,  printed  by  Koberger,  first  edition,  1493,  royal 
folio,  with  fine  original  impressions  of  the  2,850  large  wood- 
cuts of  towns,  historical  events,  portraits,  etc.,  very  tall 
copy,  measuring  18-|  inches  by  12|,  beautifully  bound  in 
morocco  super  extra,  full  gilt  edges,  by  Eiviere,  £35.  All 
the  cuts  are  brilliant  impressions,  large  and  spirited.  The 
book  is  genuine  and  perfect  throughout;  no  washed  leaves, 
and  all  the  large  capitals  filled  in  by  the  rubricator  by 
different  colored  inks:  it  has  the  six  additional  leaves  at 
end,  which  Brunet  says  are  nearly  always  wanting." 

(10)  The  first  editions  printed  of  many  books  always 
command  high  prices.  Not  only  is  this  true  of  the  editio 
princeps  of  Homer,  Virgil,  Tacitus  and  other  Greek  and 
Roman  writers,  published  in  the  infancy  of  printing,  but 
of  every  noted  author,  of  ancient  or  modern  date.  The 
edition  printed  during  the  life  of  the  writer  has  had  his 
own  oversight  and  correction.  And  when  more  than  one 
issue  of  his  book  has  thus  appeared,  one  sees  how  his  ma- 
turer  judgment  has  altered  the  substance  or  the  style  of 
his  v.'ork.  First  editions  of  any  very  successful  work  al- 
ways tend  to  become  scarce,  since  the  number  printed  is 
smaller,  as  a  rule,  and  a  large  part  of  the  issue  is  absorbed 
by  public  libraries.  The  earliest  published  writings  of 
Tennyson,  now  found  with  difficulty,  show  how  much  of 
emendation  and  omission  this  great  poet  thought  proper 
to  make  in  his  poems  in  after  years.  A  first  edition  of 
Tvanhoe,  3  vols.,  1820,  brings  £7  or  more,  in  the  original 


RARE   BOOKS.  453 

boards,  but  if  rebound  in  anj^  stj'le,  the  first  "Waverley 
noTels  can  be  had  at  much  less,  though  collectors  are  many. 

(11)  Another  class  of  rare  books  is  found  in  many  local 
histories,  both  among  the  county  histories  of  Great 
Britain,  and  those  of  towns  and  counties  in  the  United 
States.  Jay  Gould's  History  of  Delaware  County,  X.  Y., 
published  in  1856,  and  sought  after  in  later  times  because 
of  his  note  as  a  financier,  is  seldom  found.  Of  family  gene- 
alogies, too,  printed  in  small  editions,  there  are  many 
wliich  cannot  be  Had  at  all,  and  many  more  which  have 
risen  to  double  or  even  quadruple  price.  The  market 
value  of  these  books,  always  dependent  on  demand,  is  en- 
hanced by  the  wants  of  public  libraries  which  are  making 
or  completing  collections  of  these  much  sought  sources  of 
information. 

(12)  There  is  a  class  of  books  rarely  found  in  any  reput- 
able book  shop,  and  which  ought  to  be  much  rarer  than 
they  are — namely,  those  that  belong  to  the  domain  of  in- 
decent literature.  Booksellers  who  deal  in  such  wares 
often  put  them  m  catalogues  under  the  head  of  facetiae, 
tlius  making  a  vile  use  of  what  should  be  characteristic  only 
of  books  of  wit  or  humor.  Men  of  prurient  tastes  become 
collectors  of  such  books,  many  of  Avhich  are  not  without 
some  literary  merit,  while  many  more  are  neitlier  fit  to  be 
written,  nor  printed,  nor  read. 

(13)  There  is  a  large  variety  of  books  that  are  sought 
mainly  on  account,  not  of  their  authors,  nor  for  their  value 
as  literature,  but  for  their  illustrators.  Many  eminent 
artists  (in  fact  most  of  those  of  any  period)  have  made 
designs  for  certain  books  of  their  day.  The  reputation  of 
!in  artist  sorpetimes  rests  more  upon  his  work  given  to  the 
jiublic  in  engravings,  etcliings,  wood-cuts,  etc.,  that  illus- 
trate books,  Ihan  upon  his  works  on  canvas  or  in  marble. 
Many  finely  illustrated  works  bear  prices  enhanced  by  llic 


454  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

eagerness  of  collectors,  who  are  bent  upon  possessing  the 
designs  of  some  favorite  artist,  while  some  amateurs  covet 
a  collection  of  far  wider  scope.  This  demand,  although 
fitful,  and  sometimes  evanescent,  (though  more  frequently 
recurrent,)  lessens  the  supply  of  illustrated  books,  and  with 
the  constant  drafts  of  new  libraries,  raises  prices.  Turn- 
er's exquisite  pictures  in  Rogers's  Italy  and  Poems  (1830- 
34)  have  floated  into  fame  books  of  verse  which  find  very 
few  readers.  Hablot  K.  Browne  ("Phiz")  designed  those 
immortal  Wellers  in  Pickwick,  which  have  delighted  two 
whole  generations  of  readers.  The  "Cruikshankiana"  are 
sought  with  avidity,  in  whatever  numerous  volumes  they 
adorn.  Books  illustrated  with  the  designs  of  Bartolozzi, 
Marillier,  Eisen,  Gravelot,  Moreau,  Johannot,  Grandville, 
Rowlandson,  Bewick,  William  Blake,  Stothard,  Stan- 
field,  Harvey,  Martin,  Cattermole,  Birket  Foster,  Mul- 
ready,  Tenniel,  Maclise,  Gilbert,  Dalziel,  Leighton,  Hol- 
man  Hunt,  Doyle,  Leech,  Millais,  Eossetti,  Linton,  Du 
Maurier,  Sambourne,  Caldecott,  Walter  Crane,  Kate  Green- 
away,  Haden,  Hamerton,  Whistler,  Dore,  Anderson,  Bar- 
ley, Matt  Morgan,  Thos.  Nast,  Yedder,  and  others,  are  in 
constant  demand,  especially  for  the  early  impressions  of 
books  in  which  their  designs  appear. 

(14)  Finally,  that  extensive  class  of  books  known  as 
early  Americana  have  been  steadily  growing  rarer,  and 
rising  in  commercial  value,  since  about  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Books  and  pamphlets  relating  to 
any  part  of  the  American  continent  or  islands,  the  first 
voyages,  discoveries,  narratives  or  histories  of  those  re- 
gions, which  were  hardly  noted  or  cared  for  a  century  ago, 
are  now  eagerly  sought  by  collectors  for  libraries  both 
public  and  private.  In  this  field,  the  keen  competition 
of  American  Historical  Societies,  and  of  several  great  li- 
braries, besides  the  ever  increasing  number  of  private  col- 


EARE   BOOKS.  455 

lectors  with  large  means,  has  notably  enhanced  the  prices 
of  all  desirable  and  rare  books.  Nor  do  the  many  reprints 
Avhich  have  appeared  much  affect  the  market  value  of  the 
originals,  or  first  editions. 

This  rise  in  prices,  while  far  from  uniform,  and  furnish- 
ing many  examples  of  isolated  extravagance,  has  been 
marked.  Witness  some  examples.  The  "Bay  Psalm 
Book,''  Cambridge,  Mass.,  A.  D.  1640,  is  the  Caxton  of 
Xew  England,  so  rare  that  no  perfect  copy  has  been  found 
for  many  years.  In  1855,  Henry  Stevens  had  the  singular 
good  fortune  to  find  this  typographical  gem  sandwiched 
in  an  odd  bundle  of  old  hymn  books,  unknown  to  the  auc- 
tioneers or  catalogue,  at  a  London  book  sale.  Keeping  his 
own  counsel,  he  bid  off  the  lot  at  nine  shillings,  completed 
an  imperfection  in  the  book,  from  another  imperfect  copy, 
had  it  bound  in  Bedford's  best,  and  sold  it  to  Mr.  Lenox's 
library  at  £80.  In  1868,  Stevens  sold  another  copy  to 
George  Brinley  for  150  guineas,  which  was  bought  for 
$1,200  in  1878,  by  C.  Yanderbilt,  at  the  Brinley  sale. 

John  Smith's  folio  "Historic  of  Virginia,"  1st  ed.,  1624, 
large  paper,  was  sold  to  Brinley  in  1874  at  $1,275,  and  re- 
sold in  1878  for  $1,800  to  Mr.  Lenox.  In  1884  a  copy  on 
large  paper  brought  £605  at  the  Hamilton  Library  sale  in 
London.  In  1899,  a  perfect  copy  of  the  large  paper  edi- 
tion was  presented  to  the  Library  of  Congress  by  Gen.  W. 
B.  Franklin.  Perfect  copies  of  Smith's  Virginia  of  1624 
on  small  paper  have  sold  for  $1,000,  and  those  wanting 
some  maps  at  $70  to  $150. 

The  earlier  English  tracts  relating  to  Virginia  and  New 
England,  printed  between  1608  and  1700,  command  large 
prices:  e.  g.,  Lesfar])ot's  New  France,  [Canada,]  1600,  $50 
to  $150;  Wood's  New  England's  Prospect,  16.35,  $50  to 
$320;  Hubbard's  Present  State  of  New  England,  Boston, 
1677,  $180  to  $316. 


•456  A   BOOK    FOE    ALL    READEE8. 

It  is  curious  to  note,  in  contrast,  the  following  record 
of  prices  at  the  sale  of  Dr.  Bernard's  Library  in  London, 
in  1GS6: 

T.  Morton's  New  England,  1615,  eight  pence;  Lescar- 
bot's  New  France,  1609,  ten  pence;  Wood's  New 
England's  Prospect,  1635,  and  three  others,  5  s.  8  d.;  nine 
Eliot  Tracts,  &c.,  5  s.  2  d.;  Hubbard's  Present  State  of 
New  England,  1677,  1  s.;  Smith's  Historic  of  Virginia, 
1G24,  4  s.  2  d. 

The  numerous  and  now  rare  works  of  Increase  and  Cot- 
ton Mather,  printed  from  1667  to  1728,  though  mostly 
sermons,  are  collected  by  a  sufficient  number  of  libraries 
to  maintain  prices  at  from  $4  to  $25  each,  according  to 
condition.     They  number  over  470  volumes. 

Several  collections  have  been  attempted  of  Franklini- 
ana,  or  works  printed  at  Benjamin  Franklin's  press,  and 
of  the  many  editions  of  his  writings,  with  all  books  con- 
cerning the  illustrious  printer-statesman  of  America.  His 
"Poor  Richard's  Almanacs,"  printed  by  him  from  1733  to 
1758,  and  by  successors  to  1798,  are  so  rare  that  Mr.  P.  L. 
Ford  found  a  visit  to  three  cities  requisite  to  see  all  of 
them.  The  Library  of  Congress  possesses  thirty-five  years 
of  these  issues. 

A  word  may  be  added  as  to  early  newspapers,  of  some 
special  numbers  of  which  prices  that  are  literally  "fabu- 
lous" are  recorded.  There  are  many  reprints  afloat  of  the 
first  American  newspaper,  and  most  librarians  have  fre- 
quent offers  of  the  LHster  County,  (N.  Y.)  Gazette  of  Jan. 
10,  1800,  in  mourning  for  the  death  of  Washington,  a  gen- 
uine copy  of  "which  is  worth  money,  but  the  many  spurious 
reprints  (which  include  all  those  offered)  are  worth  noth- 
ing. 

Of  many  rare  early  books  reprints  or  facsimiles  are  rife 
in  the  market,  especially  of  those  having  but  few  leaves; 


BARE    BOOKS.  457 

these,  however,  are  easily  detected  by  an  expert  e3'e,  and 
need  deceive  no  one. 

Of  some  scarce  books,  it  may  be  said  that  they  are  as  rare 
as  the  individuals  who  want  them:  and  of  a  very  few,  that 
they  are  as  rare  as  the  extinct  dodo.  In  fact,  volumes  have 
been  written  concerning  extinct  books,  not  without  inter- 
est to  the  bibliomaniac  who  is  fired  with  the  passion  for 
possessing  something  which  no  one  else  has  got.  Some 
books  are  quite  at  worthless  as  they  are  rare.  But  books 
deemed  worthless  by  the  common  or  even  by  the  enlight- 
ened mind  are  cherished  as  treasures  by  many  collectors. 
The  cook-book,  entitled  Le  Pastissier  frangois,  an  Elzevir 
of  1655,  is  so  rare  as  to  have  brought  several  times  its 
weight  in  gold.  Nearly  all  the  copies  of  some  books  have 
been  worn  to  rags  by  anglers,  devout  women,  cooks,  or 
children. 

When  a  book  is  sold  at  a  great  price  as  "very  rare,"  it 
often  happens  that  several  copies  come  into  the  market 
soon  after,  and,  there  being  no  demand,  the  com- 
mercial value  is  correspondingly  depressed.  The  books 
most  sure  of  maintaining  full  prices  are  first  editions 
of  master-pieces  in  literature.  Fitzgerald's  version  of 
Omar  Khayyam  was  bought  by  nobody  when  Quaritch 
first  published  it  in  1859.  After  eight  years,  he  put  the 
remainder  of  the  edition, — a  paper-covered  volume — 
down  to  a  penny  each.  When  the  book  had  grown  into 
fame,  and  the  many  variations  in  later  issues  were  discov- 
ered, this  first  edition,  no  longer  procurable,  rose  to  £21, 
the  price  actually  paid  by  Mr.  Quaritch  himself  at  a  book 
auction  in  1898! 

Auction  sales  of  libraries  having  many  rare  books  have 
been  frequent  in  London  and  Paris.  The  largest  price  yet 
obtained  for  any  library  was  reached  in  1882-3,  when  that 
of  Mr.  Wm.  Beckford  brougbt  £73,551,  being  an  average  of 


468  A    BOOK    YOU   ALL    READERS. 

nearly  $40  a  A'olume.  But  W.  C.  liazlitt  says  of  this  sale, 
"the  Bcckford  books  realized  perfectly  insane  prices,  and 
■were  afterwards  re-sold  for  a  sixth  or  even  tenth  of  the 
amount,  to  the  serious  loss  of  somebody,  when  the  barome- 
ter had  fallen." 

The  second-hand  bookseller,  having  the  whole  range  of 
printed  literature  for  his  field,  has  a  great  advantage  in 
dealing  with  book  collectors  over  the  average  dealer,  who 
has  to  oifer  only  new  books,  or  such  as  are  "in  print." 

It  may  be  owned  that  the  love  of  rare  books  is  chiefly 
sentimental.  He  who  delights  to  spend  his  days  or  his 
nights  in  the  contemplation  of  black-letter  volumes,  quaint 
title-pages,  fine  old  bindings,  and  curious  early  illustra- 
tions, may  not  add  to  the  knowledge  or  the  happiness  of 
mankind,  but  he  makes  sure  of  his  own. 

The  passion  for  rare  books,  merely  because  of  their 
rarity,  is  a  low  order  of  the  taste  for  books.  But  the  desire 
to  possess  and  read  wise  old  books  which  have  been  touched 
by  the  hoar  frost  of  time  is  of  a  higher  mood.  The  first 
impression  of  Paradise  Lost  (1667)  with  its  quarto  page 
and  antique  orthography,  is  it  not  more  redolent  of  the 
author's  age  than  the  elegant  Pickering  edition,  or  the  one 
illustrated  by  John  Martin  or  Gustave  Dore?  When 
you  hold  in  your  hand  Shakespeare's  "Midsommer 
Night's  Dream"  (A.  D.  1600)  and  read  with  fresh 
admiration  and  delight  the  exquisite  speeches  of 
Oberon  and  Titania,  may  not  the  thought  that  perhaps 
that  very  copy  may  once  have  been  held  in  the  immortal 
bard's  own  hand  send  a  thrill  through  your  own? 

When  you  turn  over  the  classic  pages  of  Homer  illus- 
trated by  Flaxman,  that  "dear  sculptor  of  eternity,"  as 
William  Blake  called  him,  or  drink  in  the  beauty  of  those 
delicious  landscapes  of  Turner,  that  astonishing  man,  who 
shall  wonder  at  your  desire  to  possess  them? 


BIBLIOGEAPHY.  459 

The  genuine  book  lover  is  he  who  reads  books;  who 
values  them  for  what  the}-  contain,  not  for  their  rarity,  nor 
for  the  preposterous  prices  which  have  been  paid  for  them. 
To  him,  book-hunting  is  an  ever-enduring  delight.  Of  all 
the  pleasures  tasted  here  below,  that  of  the  book  lover  in 
finding  a  precious  and  long  sought  volume  is  one  of  the 
purest  and  most  innocent.  In  books,  he  becomes  master 
of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world. 


CIIAPTEll    27. 

Bibliography. 

To  the  book  collector  and  the  Librarian,  books  of  bib- 
liography are  the  tools  of  the  profession.  Without  them 
he  would  be  lost  in  a  maze  of  literature  without  a  clue. 
AVith  them,  his  path  is  plain,  and,  in  exact  proportion  to 
his  acquaintance  with  them,  will  his  knowledge  and  use- 
fulness extend.  Bibliography  may  be  defined  as  the 
science  which  treats  of  books,  of  their  authors,  subjects, 
history,  classification,  cataloguing,  typography,  materials 
(including  paper,  printing  and  binding)  dates,  editions, 
etc.  This  compound  word,  derived  from  two  Greek  roots, 
Bihlicm,  book,  and  graphcin,  to  write,  has  many  analogous 
words,  some  of  which,  ignorantly  used  to  express  a 
bibliographer,  may  be  set  down  for  distinction :  as,  for 
example — Bibliopole — a  seller  of  books,  often  errone- 
ously applied  to  a  librarian,  who  buys  but  never  sells: 
Bibliophile,  a  lover  of  books,  a  title  whicli  bo  should  al- 
ways  exemplify:    Bihiiopegist,    a    book-binder:      Biblio- 


4(>0  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

later,  a  worshipper  of  books:  Bibliophobe,  a  hater  of 
books:  Bibliotaph,  a  burier  of  books — one  who  liidcs  or 
conceals  them:  Bibliomaniac,  or  bibliomane,  one  who  has 
a  mania  or  passion  for  collecting  books.  (Bibliomania, 
some  one  has  said,  is  a  disease:  Bibliophily  is  a  science: 
The  first  is  a  parody  of  the  second.)  Bibliophage,  or  bib- 
liophagist,  a  book-eater,  or  devourer  of  books.  Bibliog- 
nost, one  versed  in  the  science  of  books.  Biblioklept,  a 
book  thief.  (This,  you  perceive,  is  from  the  same  Greek 
root  as  kleptomaniac.)  Bibliogist,  one  learned  about 
books,  (the  same  nearly  as  bibliographer);  and  finally, 
Bibliothecary,  a  librarian. 

This  brings  me  to  say,  in  supplementing  this  element- 
ary list  (needless  for  some  readers)  that  Bihliotheca  is 
Latin  for  a  library;  Bibliofhcque  is  French  for  the  same; 
Bibliothecaire  is  French  for  Librarian,  while  the  French 
word  Lihraire  means  book  seller  or  publisher,  though 
often  mistaken  by  otherwise  intelligent  persons,  for  li- 
brarian, or  library. 

The  word  "bibliotechny"  is  not  found  in  any  English 
dictionary  known  to  me,  although  long  in  use  in  its  equiv- 
alent forms  in  France  and  Germany.  It  means  all  that 
belongs  to  the  knowledge  of  the  book,  to  its  handling, 
cataloguing,  and  its  arrangement  upon  the  shelves  of  a 
library.  It  is  also  applied  to  the  science  of  the  forma- 
tion of  libraries,  and  their  complete  organization.  It  is 
employed  in  the  widest  and  most  extended  sense  of  what 
may  be  termed  material  or  physical  bibliography.  Bibli- 
otechny applies,  that  is  to  say,  to  the  technics  of  the  li- 
brarian's work — to  the  outside  of  the  books  rather  than 
the  inside — to  the  mechanics,  not  the  metaphysics  of  the 
profession.  The  French  word  "BibliotMconomie,"  much 
in  use  of  late  years,  signifies  much  the  same  thing  as 
Bibliotecknie,  and  we  ^translate  it,  not  into  one  word,  but 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  461 

two,  calling  it  'library  economy.''  This  word  "economy" 
is  not  used  in  the  most  current  sense — as  signiiicaut  of 
saving — but  in  the  broad,  modern  sense  of  systematic 
order,  or  arrangement. 

There  are  two  other  words  which  have  found  their  way 
into  Murray's  Oxford  Dictionary,  the  most  copious  re- 
pository of  English  words,  with  illustrations  of  their 
origin  and  histor}^  ever  published,  namely,  Biblioclast — 
a  destroyer  of  books  (from  the  same  final  root  as  icono- 
clast) and  Bibliogony,  the  production  of  books.  I  will  add 
that  out  of  the  fifteen  or  more  words  cited  as  analogous 
to  Bibliography,  only  three  are  found  used  earlier  than 
the  last  quarter  century,  the  first  use  of  most  having  been 
this  side  of  1880.  This  is  a  striking  instance  of  the  phe- 
nomenal growth  of  new  words  in  our  already  rich  and 
flexible  English  tongue.  Carlyle  even  has  the  word 
"Bibliopoesy,''  the  making  of  books, — from  Bihlion,  and 
poiein — to  make. 

Public  libraries  are  useful  to  readers  in  proportion  to 
the  extent  and  ready  supply  of  the  helps  they  furnish  to 
facilitate  researches  of  every  kind.  Among  these  helps 
a  wisely  selected  collection  of  books  of  reference  stands 
foremost.  Considering  the  vast  extent  and  opulence  of 
the  world  of  letters,  and  the  want  of  cxjDerience  of  the 
majority  of  readers  in  exploring  this  almost  boundless 
field,  the  importance  of  every  key  wliicli  can  unlock  its 
hidden  stores  becomes  apparent.  'J'ho  ])rinted  catalogue 
of  no  single  library  is  at  all  adequate  to  supply  full  refer- 
ences, even  to  its  own  stores  of  knowledge;  while  tliese 
catalogues  aro,  of  course,  comparalively  useless  as  to  other 
stores  of  information,  elsewhere  existing.  Even  the  com- 
plctest  and  most  extensive  catalogue  in  the  world,  that 
of  the  British  Museum  Library,  although  now  extended 
to  more  than   370  folio  volumes   in   print,   representing 


462  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

3.000  volumes  in  manuscript,  is  not  completed  so  as  to 
embrace  the  entire  contents  of  that  rich  repository  of 
knowledge. 

From  lack  of  information  of  the  aid  furnished  by  ade- 
quate books  of  reference  in  a  special  field,  many  a  reader 
goes  groping  in  pursuit  of  references  or  information 
which  might  be  found  in  some  one  of  the  many  volumes 
which  may  be  designated  as  works  of  bibliography.  The 
diffidence  and  reserve  of  many  students  in  libraries,  and 
the  mistaken  fear  of  giving  trouble  to  librarians,  fre- 
quently deprives  them  of  even  those  aids  which  a  few 
words  of  inquiry  might  bring  forth  from  the  ready  knowl- 
edge of  the  custodians  in  charge. 

That  is  the  best  library,  and  he  is  the  most  useful  li- 
brarian, by  w^hose  aid  every  reader  is  enabled  to  put  his 
finger  on  the  fact  he  wants,  just  when  it  is  wanted.  In 
attaining  this  end  it  is  essential  that  the  more  recent, 
important,  and  valuable  aids  to  research  in  general 
science,  as  well  as  in  special  departments  of  each,  should 
form  a  part  of  the  library.  In  order  to  make  a  fit  selec- 
tion of  books  (and  all  libraries  are  practically  reduced 
to  a  selection,  from  want  of  means  to  possess  the  whole) 
it  is  indispensable  to  know  the  relative  value  of  the  books 
concerned.  Many  works  of  reference  of  great  fame,  and 
once  of  great  value,  have  become  almost  obsolete,  through 
the  issue  of  more  extensive  and  carefully  edited  works 
in  the  same  field.  While  a  great  and  comprehensive  li- 
brary should  possess  every  work  of  reference,  old  or  new, 
which  has  aided  or  may  aid  the  researches  of  scholars, 
(not  forgetting  even  the  earlier  editions  of  works  often 
reprinted),  the  smaller  libraries,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
compelled  to  exercise  a  close  economy  of  selection.  The 
most  valuable  works  of  reference,  among  which  the  more 
copious  and  extensive  bibliographies  stand  first,  are  fre- 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  463 

quently  expensive  treasures,  and  it  is  important  to  the 
librarian  furnishing  a  limited  and  select  library  to  know 
what  books  he  can  best  afford  to  do  without.  If  he  can- 
not buy  both  the  Manuel  du  Uhraire  by  Brunet,  in  five 
volumes,  and  the  Tresor  des  livres  rares  et  precieux  ot 
Graesse,  seven  volumes,  both  of  which  are  dictionaries  of 
the  choicer  portions  of  literature,  it  is  important  to  know 
that  Brunet  is  the  more  indispensable  of  the  two.  From 
the  20,000  reference  books  lying  open  to  the  consultation 
of  all  readers  in  the  great  rotunda  of  the  British  IMuseum 
reading  room,  to  the  small  and  select  case  of  dictionaries, 
catalogues,  cyclopaedias,  and  other  works  of  reference 
in  a  town  or  subscription  library,  the  interval  is  wide  in- 
deed. But  where  we  cannot  have  all,  it  becomes  the  more 
important  to  have  the  best;  and  the  reader  who  has  at 
hand  for  ready  reference  the  latest  and  most  copious  dic- 
tionary of  each  of  the  leading  languages  of  the  world,  two 
or  three  of  the  best  general  bibliographies,  the  most 
copious  catalogue  raisonne  of  the  literature  in  each  great 
department  of  science,  the  best  biographical  dictionaries, 
and  the  latest  and  most  copious  encyclopaedias  issued 
from  the  press,  is  tolerably  well  equipped  for  the  prosecu- 
tion of  his  researches. 

Xext  in  importance  to  the  possession  in  any  library  of 
a  good  selection  of  the  most  useful  books  of  reference,  is 
the  convenient  accessibility  of  these  works  to  the  reading 
public.  Just  in  proportion  to  Iho  indispensability  and 
frequency  of  use  of  any  work  sbould  be  the  facility  to  the 
reader  of  availing  himself  of  its  aid.  The  leading  en- 
cyclopaedias, bibliographies,  dictionaries,  annuals,  and 
other  books  of  reference  should  never  be  locked  up  in 
cases,  nor  placed  on  high  or  remote  shelves.  There  should 
bo  in  everv  library  wbat  mny  be  termed  a  central  bureau 
of  reference.     Here  should  be  assembled,  wbetber  on  eir- 


4G-i  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READP:RS. 

culiir  cases  made  to  revolve  on  a  pivot,  or  on  a  rectangular 
case,  M'itli  volumes  covering  both  sides,  or  in  a  central 
alcove  forming  a  portion  of  the  shelves  of  the  main  li- 
brary, all  those  books  of  reference,  and  volumes  inces- 
santly needed  by  students  in  pursuit  of  their  various  in- 
quiries. It  is  important  that  the  custodians  of  all  libraries 
should  remember  that  this  ready  and  convenient  supply 
of  the  reference  books  most  constantly  wanted,  serves  the 
double  object  of  economizing  the  time  of  the  librarian 
and  assistants  for  other  labor,  and  of  accommodating  in 
the  highest  degree  the  readers,  whose  time  is  also  econo- 
mized. The  misplacement  of  volumes  which  will  thus 
occur  is  easily  rectified,  while  the  possibility  of  loss 
through  abstraction  is  so  extremely  small  that  it  should 
not  be  permitted  to  weigh  for  a  moment  in  comparison 
with  the  great  advantages  resulting  from  the  rule  of  lib- 
erality in  aiding  the  wants  of  readers. 

Bibliography,  in  its  most  intimate  sense,  is  the  proper 
science  of  the  librarian.  To  many  it  is  a  study — to  some, 
it  is  a  passion.  While  the  best  Avorks  in  bibliography  have 
not  always  been  written  b}'  librarians,  but  by  scholars 
enamored  of  the  science  of  books,  and  devotees  of  learn- 
ing, it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  great  catalogues  which  af- 
ford such  inestimable  aid  to  research,  have  nearly  all  been 
prepared  in  libraries,  and  not  one  of  the  books  worthy 
of  the  name  of  bibliography,  could  have  been  written 
without  their  aid. 

In  viewing  the  extensive  field  of  bibliographies,  regard 
for  systematic  treatment  requires  that  they  be  divided 
into  classes.  Beginning  first  with  general  bibliographies, 
or  those  claiming  to  be  universal,  we  should  afterwards 
consider  the  numerous  bibliographies  of  countries,  or 
those  devoted  to  national  literature;  following  that  by 
the  still  more  numerous  special  bibliographies,  or  those 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  465 

embracing  works  on  specially  designated  subjects.     The 
two  classes  last  named  are  by  far  the  most  numerous. 

Although  what  may  be  termed  a  "universal  catalogue" 
has  been  the  dream  of  scholars  for  many  ages,  it  is  as  far 
as  ever  from  being  realized — and  in  fact  much  farther 
than  ever  before,  since  each  year  that  is  added  to  the 
long  roll  of  the  past  increases  enormously  the  number  of 
books  to  be  dealt  with,  and  consequently  the  difficulties 
of  the  problem.  We  may  set  down  the  publication  of  a 
work  which  should  contain  the  titles  of  all  books  ever 
printed,  as  a  practical  impossibility.  The  world's  litera- 
ture is  too  vast  and  complex  to  be  completely  catalogued, 
whether  on  the  cooperative  plan,  or  any  other.  Mean- 
while the  many  thousands  of  volumes,  each  of  which  has 
been  devoted  to  some  portion  of  the  vast  and  ever-increas- 
ing stores  of  literature  and  science  which  human  brains 
have  put  in  print,  will  serve  to  aid  the  researches  of  the 
student,  when  rightly  guided  by  an  intelligent  librarian. 

Notwithstanding  the  hopeless  nature  of  the  quest,  it 
is  true  that  some  men  of  learning  have  essayed  what  have 
been  termed  universal  bibliographies.  The  earliest  at- 
tempt in  this  direction  was  published  at  Ziirich  in  1545, 
under  the  title  of  "Bibliotheca  Universalis,"  by  Conrad 
Gesner,  a  Swiss  scholar  whose  acquisition  of  knowledge 
was  so  extensive  that  he  Avas  styled  "a  miracle  of  learn- 
ing." This  great  work  gave  the  titles  of  all  books  of 
wliich  its  author  could  find  trace,  and  was  illustrated  by 
a  mass  of  bi])liograi)]iical  notes  and  criticism.  It  long 
held  a  high  place  in  the  world  of  letters,  though  it  is  now 
seldom  referred  to  in  the  plethora  of  more  modern  works 
of  bibliography.  In  1025,  the  l)Ookseller  ]i.  Ostcrn  put 
forth  at  Frankfort,  his  Bibliotheque  Univcrsdle,  a  catalogue 
of  all  books  from  1500  to  IG?!.  In  1742,  Tli.  Ceorgi  is- 
sued in  eleven  folio  volumes,  his  Allgermities  Europdisclies 


466  A    BOOK    FOR    ALT,    HEADEHS. 

Biicher-lcxikon,  claiming  to  represent  the  works  of  nearly 
all  writers  from  1500  down  to  1739.  This  formidable  cata- 
logue may  perhaps  be  said  to  embrace  more  forgotten 
books  than  any  other  in  the  literary  history  of  the  world. 

Almost  equally  formidable,  however,  is  the  bibliography 
of  that  erudite  scholar.  Christian  G.  Jocher,  who  put  forth 
in  ITdO,  at  Leipzig,  his  Allgemeines  Oelelirten-lexicon,  in 
which,  says  the  title  page,  "the  learned  men  of  all  classes 
who  have  lived  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  up  to 
the  present  time,  are  described."  This  book,  with  its 
supplement,  by  Adelung  and  Eotermund,  (completed  only 
to  letter  E),  makes  ten  ponderous  quarto  volumes,  and 
may  fairly  be  styled  a  thesaurus  of  the  birth  and  death 
of  ancient  scholars  and  their  works.  It  is  still  largely 
used  in  great  libraries,  to  identify  the  period  and  the  full 
names  of  many  obscure  writers  of  books,  who  are  not  com- 
memorated in  the  catalogues  of  universal  bibliography, 
compiled  on  a  more  restrictive  plan. 

We  come  now  to  the  notable  catalogues  of  early-printed 
books,  which  aim  to  cover  all  the  issues  of  the  press  from 
the  first  invention  of  printing,  up  to  a  certain  period. 
One  of  the  most  carefully  edited  and  most  readily  useful 
of  these  is  Hain,  (L.)  Be-pertorium  BiWwgrapMcum,  in 
four  small  and  portable  octavo  volumes,  published  at 
Stuttgart  in  1826-38.  This  gives,  in  an  alphabet  of  au- 
thors, all  the  publications  found  printed  (with  their  varia- 
tions and  new  editions),  from  A.  D.  1450  to  A.  D.  1500. 

More  extensive  is  the  great  catalogue  of  G.  W.  Panzer, 
entitled  Annales  Typographici,  in  eleven  quarto  volumes, 
published  at  Nuremberg  from  1793  to  1803.  This  work, 
which  covers  the  period  from  1457  (the  period  of  the  first 
book  ever  printed  with  a  date)  up  to  A.  D.  1536,  is  not 
arranged  alphabetically  (as  in  Hain's  Repertorium)  by 
the  names  of  authors,  but  in  the  order  of  the  cities  or 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  467 

places  where  the  books  catalogued  were  printed.  The 
bibliography  thus  brings  together  in  one  view,  the  typo- 
graphical product  of  each  city  or  town  for  about  eighty 
years  after  the  earliest  dated  issues  of  the  press,  arranged 
in  chronological  order  of  the  years  when  printed.  This 
system  has  undeniable  advantages,  but  equally  obvious 
defects,  which  are  sought  to  be  remedied  by  many  copious 
indexes  of  authors  and  printers. 

Next  in  importance  comes  M.  Maittaire's  Anjiales  Typo- 
graphici,  ab  artis  inventae  origine  ad  annum  166^,  printed 
at  The  Hague  (Hagae  Comitum)  and  completed  at  Lon- 
don, from  1722-89,  in  eleven  volumes,  quarto,  often  bound 
in  five  volumes.  There  is  besides,  devoted  to  the  early 
printed  literature  of  the  world,  the  useful  three  volume 
bibliography  by  La  Serna  de  Santandcr,  published  at 
Brussels  in  1805,  entitled  Didionnaire  bibliographique 
choisi-e  du  quinzieme  siecle,  Bruxelles,  1803,  embracing  a 
selection  of  what  its  compiler  deemed  the  more  important 
books  published  from  the  beginning  of  printing  up  to  A. 
D.  1500.  All  the  four  works  last  named  contain  the  titles 
and  descriptions  of  what  are  known  as  incunabula,  or 
cradle-books  (from  Latin  cunabula,  a  cradle)  a  term  ap- 
plied to  all  works  produced  in  the  infancy  of  printing,  and 
most  commonly  to  those  appearing  before  1500.  These 
books  are  also  sometimes  called  fifteeners,  or  15th  cen- 
tury books. 

Of  general  bibliographies  of  later  date,  only  a  few  of 
the  most  useful  and  important  can  here  be  named.  At 
the  head  of  these  stands,  deservedly,  the  great  work  of 
J.  C.  Brunet,  entitled  Manuel  du  Libraire  ct  de  Vaniateur 
des  livres,  the  last  or  5th  edition  of  which  appeared  at 
Paris  in  18n0-r)4,  in  five  tliick  octavo  volumes.  The  first 
edition  of  Brunet  appeared  in  1810,  and  every  issue  since 
has  cxhiljitud  not  only  an  extensive  enlargement,  but  great 


468  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

improvement  in  careful,  critical  editorship.  It  embraces 
most  of  the  choicest  hooks  that  have  appeared  in  the  prin- 
cipal languages  of  Europe,  and  a  supplement  in  two  vol- 
umes, by  P.  Deschanips  and  G.  Brunet,  appeared  in  1878. 

Xext  to  Brunet  in  importance  to  the  librarian,  is  J. 
G.  T.  Graesse's  Trhor  dcs  Livres  rares  et  prkicux,  which  is 
more  full  than  Brunet  in  works  in  the  Teutonic  languages, 
and  was  published  at  Dresden  in  six  quarto  volumes,  with 
a  supplement,  in  1861-69.  Both  of  these  bibliographies 
aim  at  a  universal  range,  though  the}'  make  a  selection  of 
the  best  authors  and  editions,  ancient  and  modern,  omit- 
ting however,  the  most  recent  writers.  The  arrangement 
of  both  is  strictly  alphabetical,  or  a  dictionary  of  authors' 
names,  while  Brunet  gives  in  a  final  volume  a  classifica- 
tion by  subjects.  Both  catalogues  are  rendered  addition- 
ally valuable  by  the  citation  of  prices  at  which  many  of 
the  works  catalogued  have  been  sold  at  book  auctions  in 
the  present  century. 

In  1857  was  published  at  Paris  a  kind  of  universal 
bibliography,  on  the  plan  of  a  catalogue  raisanne,  or  dic- 
tionary of  subjects,  by  Messrs.  F.  Denis,  Pingon,  and  De 
Martonne,  two  of  whom  were  librarians  by  profession. 
This  work  of  over  700  pages,  though  printed  in  almost 
microscopic  type,  and  now  about  forty  years  in  arrears, 
has  much  value  as  a  ready  key  to  the  best  books  then 
known  on  nearly  every  subject  in  science  and  literature. 
It  is  arranged  in  a  complete  index  of  topics,  the  books 
under  each  being  described  in  chronological  order,  instead 
of  the  alphabetical.  The  preponderance  is  given  to  the 
French  in  the  works  cited  on  most  subjects,  but  the  litera- 
ture of  other  nations  is  by  no  means  neglected.  It  is 
entitled  Noureau  Manuel  dc  BibUngrapMe  universelU,  and 
being  a  subjective  index,  while  Brunet  and  Graesse  are 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,  469 

arranged  by  authors'  names,  it  nvdj  be  used  to  advan- 
tage in  connection  with  these  standard  bibliographies. 

While  on  this  subject,  let  me  name  the  books  specially 
devoted  to  lists  of  bibliographical  works — general  and 
special.  These  may  be  termed  the  catalogues  of  cata- 
logues,— and  are  highly  useful  aids,  indeed  indispensable 
to  the  librarian,  who  seeks  to  know  what  lists  of  books 
have  appeared  that  are  devoted  to  the  titles  of  publica- 
tions covering  any  period,  or  countr}^  or  special  subject 
in  the  whole  circle  of  sciences  or  literatures.  The  first 
notably  important  book  of  reference  in  this  field,  was  the 
work  of  that  most  industrious  bibliographer,  Gabriel  Peig- 
not,  who  published  at  Paris,  in  1812,  his  Repertoire  hiblio- 
graphique  universellc,  in  one  volume.  This  work  contains 
the  titles  of  most  special  bibliographies,  of  whatever  sub- 
ject or  countr}%  published  up  to  1812,  and  of  many  works 
bibliographical  in  character,  devoted  to  literary  history. 

Dr.  Julius  Petzholdt,  one  of  the  most  learned  and  labori- 
ous of  librarians,  issued  at  I^cipzig  in  18GG,  a  Bihliotheca 
lihliographica,  the  fuller  title  of  which  was  "a  critical  cata- 
logue, exhibiting  in  systematic  order,  the  entire  field  of 
bibliography  covering  the  literature  of  Cermany  and  other 
countries."  The  rather  ambitious  promise  of  this  title  is 
well  redeemed  in  the  contents;  for  very  few  catalogues 
of  importance  issued  before  ISGfi,  are  omitted  in  this 
elaborate  book  of  931  closely  printed  pages.  Most  titles 
of  the  bibliographies  given  are  followed  by  critical  and 
explanatory  notes,  of  much  value  to  the  unskilled  reader. 
These  notes  are  in  German,  while  all  the  titles  cited  are  in 
the  language  of  the  books  themselves.  After  giving  full 
titles  of  all  the  books  in  general  bibliography,  he  takes 
up  the  national  bibliographies  l)y  countries,  citing  both 
systematic  catalogues  and  ])crio{licals  devoted  to  the 
literature  of  each  in  any  period.     This  is  followed  by  a 


470  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

tlistriliutivo  list  of  scientific  bibliographies,  so  full  as  to 
leave  little  to  be  desired,  except  for  later  issues  of  the 
press.  One  of  the  curiosities  of  this  work  is  its  catalogue 
of  all  the  issues  of  the  "Index  LibrorumProhibitorum",  or 
books  forbidden  to  be  read,  including  185  separate  cata- 
logues, from  A.  D.  1510  to  A.  D.  1862. 

Tlie  next  bibliographical  work  claiming  to  cover  this 
field  was  in  the  French  language,  being  the  Bihliographie 
des  hihliographies  of  Leon  Vallee,  published  in  1883  at 
Paris.  This  book,  though  beautifully  printed,  is  so  full 
of  errors,  and  still  fuller  of  omissions,  that  it  is  regarded 
by  competent  scholars  as  a  failure,  though  still  having 
its  uses  to  the  librarian.  It  is  amazing  that  any  writer 
should  put  forth  a  book  seventeen  years  after  the  great 
and  successful  work  of  Petzholdt,  purporting  to  be  a  cat- 
alogue of  bibliographies,  and  yet  fail  to  record  such  a 
multitude  of  printed  contributions  to  the  science  of 
sciences  as  Vallee  has  overlooked. 

Some  ten  years  later,  or  in  1897,  there  came  from  the 
French  press,  a  far  better  bibliographical  work,  covering 
the  modern  issues  of  books  of  bibliography  more  especially, 
with  greater  fullness  and  superior  plan.  This  is  the 
Manuel  de  Bihliographie  generale,  by  Henri  Stein.  Thus 
work  contains,  in  015  well-printed  pages,  1st.  a  list  of 
universal  bibliographies :  2d.  a  catalogue  of  national  biblio- 
graphies, in  alphabetical  order  of  countries:  3d.  a  list  of 
classified  bibliographies  of  subjects,  divided  into  seven- 
teen classes,  namely,  religious  sciences,  philosophical 
sciences,  juridical,  economic,  social,  and  educational 
sciences,  pure  and  applied  sciences,  medical  sciences,  philo- 
logy and  belles  lettres,  geographical  and  historical  sciences, 
sciences  auxiliary  to  history,  archaeology  and  fine  arts, 
music,  and  biography.  Besides  these  extremely  useful  cate- 
gories of  bibliographical  aids,  in  which  the  freshest  publi- 


BIBLIOGKAPHY.  471 

cations  of  catalogues  and  lists  of  books  in  each  field  are  set 
forth,  M.  Stein  gives  us  a  complete  geographical  biblio- 
graphy of  printing,  on  a  new  plan.  This  he  entitles  "Geo- 
graphie  lihliograpltique/'  or  systematic  lists  of  localities  in 
every  part  of  the  world  which  possessed  a  printing  press 
prior  to  the  19th  century.  It  gives,  after  the  modern  or 
current  name  of  each  place,  the  Latin,  or  ancient  name,  the 
country  in  which  located,  the  year  in  which  the  first  print- 
ed publication  appeared  in  each  place,  and  finally,  the 
authority  for  the  statement.  This  handy-list  of  informa- 
tion alone,  is  worth  the  cost  of  the  work,  since  it  will 
save  much  time  of  the  inquirer,  in  hunting  over  many 
volumes  of  Panzer,  Maittaire,  Hain,  Dibdin,  Thomas,  or 
other  authors  on  printing,  to  find  the  origin  of  the  art, 
or  early  name  of  the  place  where  it  was  introduced.  The 
work  contains,  in  addition,  a  general  table  of  the  periodi- 
cals of  all  countries,  (of  course  not  exhaustive)  divided 
into  classes,  and  filling  seventy-five  pages.  It  closes  with 
a  "repertory  of  the  principal  libraries  of  the  entire  world," 
and  with  an  index  to  the  whole  work,  in  which  the  early 
names  in  Latin,  of  all  places  where  books  were  printed, 
are  interspersed  in  the  alphabet,  distinguished  by  italic 
type,  and  with  the  modern  name  of  each  town  or  city 
affixed.  This  admirable  feature  will  render  unnecessary 
any  reference  to  the  Orbis  Latinu^  of  Graess,  or  to  any 
(^tlier  vocabulary  of  geography,  to  identify  the  place  in 
which  early-printed  books  appeared.  Stein  is  by  no  means 
free  from  errors,  and  some  surprising  omissions.  One  car- 
dinal defect  is  the  absence  of  any  full  index  of  autliors 
whose  books  are  cited. 

There  are  also  quite  brief  catalogues  of  works  on  biblio- 
grapliy  in  J.  Powers  Handy  liook  about  Books,  London, 
1870,  and  in  J.  Sabin's  Bibliography:  a  handy  book  a))out 


472  A    BOOK    rOR    ALL    READERS. 

books  which  relate  to  books,  X.  Y.,  1877.  The  latter 
work  is  an  expansion  of  the  first-named. 

We  come  now  to  the  second  class  of  our  bibliographies, 
viz:  those  of  various  countries.  Here  the  reader  must  be 
on  his  guard  not  to  be  misled  into  too  general  an  inter- 
pretation of  geographical  terms.  Thus,  he  mil  find  many- 
books  and  pamphlets  ambitiously  styled  "Catalogue  Ameri- 
caine.'",  which  are  so  far  from  being  general  bibliogra- 
phies of  books  relating  to  America,  that  they  are  merely 
lists  of  a  few  books  for  sale  by  some  book-dealer,  which 
have  something  American  in  their  subject.  To  know 
what  catalogues  are  comprehensive,  and  what  period  they 
cover,  as  well  as  the  limitations  of  nearly  all  of  them,  is 
a  necessary  part  of  the  training  of  a  bibliographer,  and  is 
essential  to  the  librarian  who  would  economize  his  time 
and  enlarge  his  usefulness. 

Let  us  begin  with  our  own  country.  Here  we  are  met 
at  the  outset  by  the  great  paucity  of  general  catalogues 
of  American  literature,  and  the  utter  impossibility  of  find- 
ing any  really  comprehensive  lists  of  the  books  published 
in  the  United  States,  during  certain  periods.  We  can  get 
along  tolerably  well  for  the  publications  within  the  last 
thirty^  years,  which  nearly  represent  the  time  since  syste- 
matic weekly  bibliographical  journals  have  been  publish- 
ed, containing  lists  of  the  current  issues  of  books.  But 
for  the  period  just  before  the  Civil  War,  back  to  the  year 
1775,  or  for  very  nearly  a  centur}',  we  are  without  any 
systematic  bibliography  of  the  product  of  the  American 
press.  The  fragmentary  attempts  which  have  been  made 
toward  supplying  an  account  of  what  books  have  been 
published  in  the  United  States  from  the  beginning,  will 
hereafter  be  briefly  noted.  At  the  outset,  you  are  to  ob- 
serve the  wide  distinction  that  exists  between  books  treat- 
ing of  America,  or  any  part  of  it,  and  books  printed  in 


BIBLIOGEAPHY.  473 

America.  The  former  may  have  been  printed  anywhere, 
at  any  time  since  1-493,  and  in  any  language:  and  to 
such  books,  the  broad  significant  term  "Americana"  may 
properly  be  applied,  as  implying  books  relating  to  Ameri- 
ca. But  this  class  of  works  is  wholly  different  from  that 
of  books  written  or  produced  by  Americans,  or  printed  in 
America.  It  is  these  latter  that  we  mean  when  we  lament 
the  want  of  a  comprehensive  American  catalogue.  There 
have  been  published  in  the  United  States  alone  (to  go  no 
farther  into  America  at  present)  thousands  of  books,  whose 
titles  are  not  found  anywhere,  except  widely  scattered  in 
the  catalogues  of  libraries,  public  and  private,  in  which 
they  exist.  Nay,  there  are  multitudes  of  publications 
which  have  been  issued  in  this  country  during  the  last  two 
liundred  years,  whose  titles  cannot  be  found  anywhere  in 
print.  This  is  not,  generally,  because  the  books  have 
perished  utterly, — though  this  is  unquestionably  true  of 
some,  but  because  multitudes  of  books  that  have  appeared, 
and  do  appear,  wholly  escape  the  eye  of  the  literary,  or 
critical,  or  bibliographical  chronicler.  It  is,  beyond  doubt 
true  even  now,  that  what  are  commonly  accepted  as  com- 
plete catalogues  of  the  issues  of  the  press  of  any  year,  are 
wofully  incomplete,  and  that  too,  through  no  fault  of  their 
compilers.  Many  works  are  printed  in  obscure  towns,  or 
in  newspaper  offices,  which  never  reach  the  great  eastern 
cities,  where  our  principal  bibliographies,  both  periodical 
and  permanent,  are  prepared.  Many  books,  too,  are  "pri- 
vately printed,"  to  gratify  the  ])ride  or  the  taste  of  their 
authors,  and  a  few  copies  distributed  to  friends,  or  some- 
times to  selected  libraries,  or  public  men.  In  these  cases, 
not  only  are  the  public  clironiclers  of  new  issues  of  the 
press  in  ignorance  of  the  printing  of  many  books,  but  they 
are  purposely  kept  in  ignorance.  Charles  Tjanib,  of 
humorous  anH   perhaps  inimorlal    iiieinory,  used  to  com- 


•174  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

plain  of  the  multitudes  of  books  which  are  no  books;  and 
we  of  to-day  may  complain,  if  we  choose,  of  the  vast  num- 
ber of  publications  that  are  not  published. 

Take  a  single  example  of  the  failure  of  even  large  and 
imposing  volumes  to  be  included  in  the  "American  Cata- 
logue," for  whose  aid,  librarians  are  so  immeasurably  in- 
debted to  the  enterprise  of  its  publishers.  A  single  pub- 
lishing house  west  of  Xew  York,  printed  and  circulated  in 
about  four  years  time,  no  less  than  thirty-two  elaborate 
and  costly  histories,  of  western  counties  and  towns,  not 
one  of  which  was  ever  recorded  by  title  in  our  only  com- 
prehensive American  bibliography.  Why  was  this?  Sim- 
ply because  the  works  referred  to  were  published  only  as 
subscription  books,  circulated  by  agents,  carefully  kept  out 
of  booksellers'  hands,  and  never  sent  to  the  Eastern  press 
for  notice  or  review.  When  circumstances  like  these  exist 
as  to  even  very  recent  American  publications  (and  they  are 
continually  happening)  is  it  any  wonder  that  our  biblio- 
graphies are  incomplete? 

Perhaps  some  will  suggest  that  there  must  be  one  record 
of  American  publications  which  is  complete,  namely,  the 
office  of  Copyright  at  Washington.  It  is  true  that  the 
titles  of  all  copyright  publications  are  required  by  law  to 
be  there  registered,  and  copies  deposited  as  soon  as  printed. 
It  is  also  true  that  a  weekly  catalogue  of  all  books  and 
other  copyright  publications  is  printed,  and  distributed  by 
the  Treasury,  to  all  our  c^^stom-houses,  to  intercept  pirati- 
cal re-prints  which  might  be  imported.  But  the  books 
just  referred  to  were  not  entered  for  copyright  at  all,  the 
publishers  apparently  preferring  the  risk  of  any  rival's  re- 
printing them,  rather  than  to  incur  the  cost  of  the  small 
copyright  fee,  and  the  deposit  of  copies.  In  such  cases, 
there  is  no  law  requiring  publishers  to  furnish  copies  of 
their  books.     The  government  guarantees  no  monopoly  of 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  475 

publication,  and  so  cannot  exact  a  quid  pro  quo.,  however 
much  it  might  inure  to  the  interest  of  publisher  and  author 
to  have  the  work  seen  and  noticed,  and  preserved  beyond 
risk  of  perishing  (unless  printed  on  wood-pulp  paper)  in 
the  Library  of  the  United  States. 

If  such  extensive  omissions  of  the  titles  of  books  some- 
times important,  can  now  continually  occur  in  our  accept- 
ed standards  of  national  bibliography,  what  shall  we  say 
of  times  when  we  had  no  critical  Journals,  no  publishers' 
trade  organs,  and  no  weekly,  nor  annual,  nor  quinquennial 
catalogues  of  American  books  issued?  Must  we  not  allow, 
in  the  absence  of  any  catalogues  worthy  of  the  name,  to 
represent  such  periods,  that  all  our  reference  books  are 
from  the  very  necessity  of  the  case  deplorably  incomplete? 
Only  by  the  most  devoted,  indefatigable  and  unrewarded 
industry  have  we  got  such  aids  to  research  as  to  the  exist- 
ence of  American  publications,  as  Haven's  Catalogue  of 
American  publications  prior  to  1776,  Sabin's  Bibliotheca 
Americana,  and  the  American  Catalogues  of  Leypoldt, 
Bowker,  and  their  coadjutors. 

These  illustrations  are  cited  to  guard  against  the  too 
common  error  of  supposing  that  we  have  in  the  mimerous 
American  catalogues  that  exist,  even  putting  them  all  to- 
gether, any  full  bibliography  of  the  titles  of  American 
books.  "While  it  cannot  be  said  that  the  lacunae  or  omis- 
s'ons  approach  the  actual  entries  in  number,  it  must  be 
allowed  that  books  are  turning  up  every  day,  both  new  and 
old,  whose  titles  are  not  found  in  any  catalogue.  The 
most  important  books — those  which  deserve  a  name  as 
literature,  are  found  recorded  somewhere — although  even 
as  to  many  of  those,  one  has  to  search  many  alphabets,  in 
a  large  number  of  volumes,  before  tracing  them,  or  some 
editions  of  them. 

One  principal  source  of  the  great  number  of  titles  of 


476  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

books  found  wanting  in  American  catalogues,  is  that  many 
books  were  printed  at  places  remote  from  the  great  cities, 
and  were  never  announced  in  the  columns  of  the  press  at 
all.  This  is  especially  true  as  to  books  printed  toward  the 
close  of  the  18th  century,  and  during  the  first  quarter  of 
the  19th.  Not  only  have  we  no  bibliography  whatever  of 
American  issues  of  the  press,  specially  devoted  to  covering 
the  long  period  between  1775  and  1820,  but  multitudes  of 
books  printed  during  that  neglected  half-century,  have 
failed  to  get  into  the  printed  catalogues  of  our  libraries. 
As  illustrations  we  might  give  a  long  catalogue  of  places 
where  book-publication  was  long  carried  on,  and  many 
books  of  more  or  less  importance  printed  or  reprinted,  but 
in  which  to^vns  not  a  book  has  been  produced  for  more 
than  three-quarters  of  a  century  past.  One  of  these  towns 
was  Winchester,  and  another  Williamsburg,  in  Virginia; 
another  was  Exeter,  Xew  Hampshire,  and  a  fourth  was 
Carlisle,  Pa.  In  the  last-named  place,  one  Archibald  Lou- 
don printed  many  books,  between  A.  D.  1798,  and  1813, 
which  have  nearly  all  escaped  the  chroniclers  of  American 
book-titles.  Notable  among  the  productions  of  his  press, 
was  his  own  book,  A  History  of  Indian  "Wars,  or  as  he 
styled  it  in  the  title  page,  "A  selection  of  some  of  the  most 
interesting  narratives  of  outrages  committed  by  the  In- 
dians in  their  wars  with  the  white  people."  This  history 
appeared  in  two  volumes  from  the  press  of  A.  Loudon,  Car- 
lisle, Pa.,  in  1808  and  1811.  It  is  so  rare  that  I  have  fail- 
ed to  find  its  title  anywhere  except  in  Sabin's  Bibliotheca 
Americana,  Field's  Indian  Bibliography,  and  the  Catalogue 
of  the  Library  of  Congress.  Not  even  the  British  Museum 
Library,  so  rich  in  Americana,  has  a  copy.  Sabin  states 
that  only  six  copies  are  known,  and  Field  styles  it,  "this 
rarest  of  books  on  America,"  adding  that  he  could  learn  of 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  477 

only  three  perfect  copies  in  the  world.  A  Harrisburg  re- 
print of  18S8  (100  copies  to  subscribers)  is  also  quite  rare. 
Continuing  the  subject  of  American  bibliography,  and 
still  lamenting  the  want  of  any  comprehensive  or  finished 
work  in  that  field  which  is  worthy  of  the  name,  let  us  see 
what  catalogues  do  exist,  even  approximating  completeness 
for  any  period.  The  earlier  years  of  the  production  of 
American  books  have  been  partially  covered  by  the  ''Cata- 
logue of  publications  in  what  is  now  the  United  States, 
])rior  to  1776/'  This  list  was  compiled  by  an  indefatig- 
able librarian,  the  late  Samuel  F.  Haven,  who  was  at  the 
head  of  the  Library  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society, 
at  Worcester,  Mass.  It  gives  all  titles  by  sequence  of  years 
of  publication,  instead  of  alphabetical  order,  from  1639 
(the  epoch  of  the  earliest  printing  in  the  United  States) 
to  the  end  of  1775.  The  titles  of  books  and  pamphlets  are 
described  with  provoking  brevity,  being  generally  limited 
to  a  single  line  for  each,  and  usually  without  publishers' 
names,  (though  the  places  of  publication  and  sometimes 
the  number  of  pages  are  given)  so  that  it  leaves  much  to 
be  desired.  Notwithstanding  this,  Mr.  Haven's  catalogue 
is  an  invaluable  aid  to  the  searcher  after  titles  of  the 
early  printed  literature  of  our  country.  It  appeared  at  Al- 
bany, N.  Y.,  in  1874,  as  an  appendix  [in  A^ol  2]  to  a  new 
(or  second)  edition  of  Isaiah  Thomas's  History  of  Printing 
in  America,  which  was  first  published  in  1810.  In  using 
it,  the  librarian  will  find  no  difTicully,  if  he  knows  the  year 
when  the  publication  he  looks  for  !ip])eared,  as  all  books 
of  each  year  are  arranged  in  alpliabetical  order.  But  if 
he  knows  only  the  aiiilior's  name,  he  may  have  a  long 
search  to  trace  the  title,  tlicrc  being  no  general  alphabet 
or  index  of  authors.  Tliis  chronological  arrangement  has 
certain  advantages  to  tlie  literary  inquirer  or  historian, 
while  for  ready  reference,  its  disadvantages  arc  obvious. 


478  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS.      • 

While  there  were  several  earlier  undertakings  of  an 
American  bibliography  than  Haven's  catalogue  of  publi- 
cations before  the  American  revolution;,  yet  the  long  period 
which  that  list  covers,  and  its  importance,  entitled  it  to 
first  mention  here.  There  had,  however,  appeared,  as 
early  as  the  year  1804,  in  Boston,  "A  Catalogue  of  all 
books,  printed  in  the  United  States,  with  the  prices,  and 
places  where  published,  annexed."  This  large  promise 
is  hardly  redeemed  by  the  contents  of  this  thin  pamphlet 
of  91  pages,  all  told.     Yet  the  editor  goes  on  to  assure  us — 

"This  Catalog-ue  is  intended  to  include  all  books  of  general 
sale  printed  in  the  United  States,  -whether  original,  or  re- 
printed; that  the  public  may  see  the  rapid  progress  of  book- 
printing  in  a  country,  where,  twenty  years  since,  scarcely  a 
book  was  published.  Local  and  occasional  tracts  are  gen- 
erally omitted.  Some  of  the  books  in  the  Catalogue  are  now 
out  of  print,  and  others  are  scarce.  It  is  contemplated  to 
publish  a  new  edition  of  this  Catalogue,  every  two  years,  and 
to  make  the  necessary  additions  and  corrections;  and  it  is 
hoped  the  time  is  not  far  distant,  when  useful  Libraries  may 
be  formed  of  American  editions  of  Books,  well  printed,  and 
handsomely  bound. 

Printed  at  Boston,  for  the  Book  sellers,  Jan.,  1804." 

The  really  remarkable  thing  about  this  catalogue  is  that 
it  was  the  veiy  first  bibliographical  attempt  at  a  general 
catalogue,  in  separate  form,  in  America.  It  is  quite  inter- 
esting as  an  early  booksellers'  list  of  American  publica- 
tions, as  well  as  for  its  classification,  which  is  as  follows: 
"Law,  Physic,  Divinity,  Bibles,  Miscellanies,  School  Books, 
Singing  Books,  Omissions." 

The  fact  that  no  subsequent  issues  of  the  catalogue  ap- 
peared, evinces  the  very  small  interest  taken  in  biblio- 
graphic knowledge  in  those  early  days. 

This  curiosity  of  early  American  bibliography  gives  the 
titles  of  1338  books,  all  of  American  publication,  with 
prices  in  1804.  Here  are  samples:  Bingham's  Columbian 
Orator,  75  cts. :  Burney's  Cecilia,  3  vols.  $3 :  Memoirs  of 


EIBLIOGRAPnY,  479 

Pious  Women^  $1.12:  Belknap's  New  Hampshire,  3  vols. 
$5:  Mrs.  Coghlan's  Memoirs,  62|  ets. :  Brockden  Brown's 
Wieland,  $1 :  Federalist,  2  vols.  $-4.50 :  Dilworth's  Snelling 
Book,  12^  cts. :  Pike's  Arithmetic,  $2.25. 

The  number  of  out-of-the-way  places  in  which  books 
were  published  in  those  da3'S  is  remarkable.  Thus,  in  Con- 
necticut, we  have  as  issuing  books,  Litchfield,  New  London 
and  Fairhaven:  in  Massachusetts,  Leominster,  Dedham, 
Greenfield,  Brookfield,  and  Wrentham;  in  New  Hampshire, 
Dover,  "Walpole,  Portsmouth,  and  Exeter :  in  Pennsylvania, 
"Washington,  Carlisle,  and  Chambersburg:  in  New  Jersey, 
]\[orristown,  Elizabethtown,  and  Burlington.  At  Alex- 
andria, Va.,  eight  books  are  recorded  as  published. 

This  historical  nugget  of  the  Boston  bookmongers  of  a 
century  ago  is  so  rare,  that  only  two  copies  are  known  in 
public  libraries,  namely,  in  the  Library  of  Congress,  and 
in  that  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society.  It  was  re- 
printed in  1898,  for  the  Dibdin  Club  of  New  York,  by  Mr. 
A.  Growoll,  of  the  Publishers'  Weekly,  to  whose  curious 
and  valuable  notes  on  "Booktrade  Bibliography  in  the 
United  States  in  the  19th  century,"  it  forms  a  supplement. 

The  next  catalogue  of  note  claiming  to  be  an  American 
catalogue,  or  of  books  published  in  America,  was  put  fortli 
in  1847,  at  Claremont,  N.  H.,  by  Alexander  Y.  Blake. 
This  was  entitled,  "The  American  Bookseller's  com})lete 
reference  trade-list,  and  alphabetical  catalogue  of  books, 
published  in  this  country,  with  the  publishers'  and 
authors'  names,  and  prices."  This  (|u;irl()  volume,  making 
351  pages  (with  its  supplement  issued  in  1848)  was  the 
precursor  of  the  now  current  "Trade  List  Annual,"  von- 
taining  the  lists  of  books  pul)lished  by  all  ])u1)lisli(  rs  whose 
lists  could  be  secured.  The  titles  are  very  luicf,  and  are 
aiTanged  in  Ihe  catalogue  under  the  names  of  the  i-esi)ec- 
tive  publishers,  with  an  alphabet ieal  imh'X  of  authors  and 


480  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

of  anonymous  titles  at  the  end.  It  served  well  its  pur- 
pose of  a  book-trade  catalogue  fifty  years  ago,  being  the 
pioneer  in  that  important  field.  It  is  now,  like  the  cata- 
logue of  ISO-l,  just  noticed,  chiefly  interesting  as  a  biblio- 
graphical curiosity,  although  both  lists  do  contain  the 
titles  of  some  books  not  elsewhere  found. 

Mr.  Orville  A.  Eoorbach,  a  New  York  bookseller,  was 
the  next  compiler  of  an  American  bibliography.  His  first 
issue  of  1849  was  enlarged  and  published  in  1852,  under 
this  title :  "Bibliotheca  Americana :  a  catalogue  of  Ameri- 
can publications,  including  reprints  and  original  works, 
from  1820  to  1852,  inclusive."  This  octavo  volume  of  6G3 
pages,  in  large,  clear  type,  closely  abbreviates  nearly  all 
titles,  though  giving  in  one  comprehensive  alphabet,  the 
authors'  names,  and  the  titles  of  the  books  under  the  first 
word,  with  year  and  place  of  publication,  publisher's  name, 
and  price  at  which  issued.  No  collation  of  the  books  is 
given,  but  the  catalogue  supplies  sufficient  portions  of  each 
title  to  identify  the  book.  It  is  followed  in  an  appendix 
by  a  catalogue  of  law  books,  in  a  separate  alphabet,  and  a 
list  of  periodicals  published  in  the  United  States  in  1852. 

Eoorbach  continued  his  catalogue  to  the  year  1861,  by 
the  issue  of  three  successive  supplements :  (1)  covering  the 
American  publications  of  1853  to  1855:  (2)  from  1855  to 
1858 :  (3)  from  1858  to  1861.  These  four  catalogues,  aim- 
ing to  cover,  in  four  different  alphabets,  the  issues  of  the 
American  press  for  forty  years,  or  from  1820  to  1861,  are 
extremely  useful  lists  to  the  librarian,  as  finding  lists,  al- 
though the  rigorously  abbreviated  titles  leave  very  much 
to  be  desired  by  the  bibliographer,  and  the  omissions 
are  exceedingly  numerous  of  books  published  within  the 
years  named,  but  whose  titles  escaped  the  compiler. 

Following  close  upon  Eoorbach's  Bibliotheca  Americana 
in  chronological  order,  we  have  next  two  bibliographies 


BIBLIOGRAPHT.  481 

covering  American  book  issues  from  1861  to  1871.  These 
were  compiled  by  a  Xew  York  book  dealer  named  James 
Kelly,  and  were  entitled  The  American  Catalogue  of 
Books,  (original  and  reprint)  published  in  the  United 
States  from  Jan.,  18G1,  to  Jan.,  18G6,  [and  from  Jan., 
1866,  to  Jan.,  1871]  with  date  of  publication,  size,  price, 
and  publisher's  name.  The  first  volume  contained  a  sup- 
plement, Avith  list  of  pamphlets  on  the  civil  war,  and  also 
a  list  of  the  publications  of  learned  societies.  These  very 
useful  and  important  catalogues  cover  ten  years  of  Ameri- 
can publishing  activity,  adding  also  to  their  own  period 
many  titles  omitted  by  Eoorbach  in  earlier  years.  Kelly's 
catalogues  number  307  and  444  pages  respectively,  and, 
like  Roorbach's,  they  give  both  author  and  title  in  a  single 
alphabet.  Names  of  publishers  are  given,  with  place  and 
year  of  publication,  and  retail  price,  but  without  number 
of  pages,  and  with  no  alphabet  of  subjects. 

i!^ext  after  Kelly's  catalogue  came  the  first  issue  of  the 
"American  Catalogue,"  which,  with  its  successive  volumes 
(all  published  in  quarto  form)  ably  represents  the  biblio- 
graphy of  our  country  during  the  past  twenty-five  years. 
The  title  of  the  first  volume,  issued  in  1880,  reads  "Ameri- 
can Catalogue  of  books  in  print  and  for  sale  (including  re- 
prints and  importations)  July  1,  1876,  Compiled  under 
direction  of  F.  Leypoldt,  by  L.  E.  Jones."  This  copious 
repository  of  book-titles  was  in  two  parts:  (1)  Authors, 
and  (2)  Subject-index.  Both  are  of  course  in  alphabetical 
order,  and  tlio  titles  of  books  are  given  with  considerable 
aljbreviation.  Tlic  fact  that  its  plan  includes  many  titles 
of  books  imported  from  Great  Britain,  (as  supplying  in- 
formation to  book-dealers  and  book-buyers)  prevents  it 
from  being  considered  as  a  bibliography  of  strictly  Ameri- 
can publications.  Still,  it  is  (lie  only  approxmiately  full 
American  bibliograjjby  of  jlic  [inblications  current  twenty- 


482  A    BOOK    I'Olt    ALL    READERS. 

five  years  ago.  As  such,  its  volumes  are  indispensable 
in  every  library,  and  should  be  in  its  earliest  purchase  of 
works  of  reference.  The  limitation  of  the  catalogue  to 
books  still  in  print — i.  e.,  to  be  had  of  the  publishers  at 
the  time  of  its  issue,  of  course  precludes  it  from  being 
ranked  as  a  universal  American  bibliography. 

The  first  issue  in  1880  was  followed,  in  1885,  by  the 
"American  Catalogue,  1876-1884:  books  recorded  (includ- 
ing reprints  and  importations,  under  editorial  direction  of 
R.  E.  Bowker,  by  Miss  A.  I.  Appleton."  This  appeared  in 
one  volume,  but  with  two  alphabets;  one  being  authors 
and  titles,  and  the  other  an  alphabet  of  subjects.  As  this 
volume  included  eight  years  issues  of  the  American  press, 
the  next  bibliography  published  covered  the  next  ensuing 
six  years,  and  included  the  books  recorded  from  July,  188-i 
to  July,  1890.  This  appeared  in  1891,  edited  with  care 
by  Miss  Appleton  and  others. 

In  1896  appeared  its  successor,  the  "American  Cata- 
logue, 1890-95.  Compiled  under  the  editorial  direction 
of  R.  R.  Bowker."  This  catalogue  records  in  its  first 
volume,  or  alphabet  of  authors:  (1)  author;  (2)  size  of 
book;  (3)  year  of  issue;  (4)  price;  (5)  publisher's  name. 
The  names  of  places  where  published  are  not  given  with 
the  title,  being  rendered  unnecessary  by  the  full  alphabeti- 
cal list  of  publishers  which  precedes,  and  fixes  the  city  or 
town  where  each  published  his  books.  This  same  usage  is 
followed  in  succeeding  issues  of  the  American  Catalogue. 

This  indispensable  bibliography  of  recent  American 
books,  in  addition  to  its  regular  alphabets  of  authors  and 
titles  (the  latter  under  first  words  and  in  the  same  alphabet 
with  the  authors)  and  the  succeeding  alphabet  of  subjects, 
prints  a  full  list  of  the  publications  of  the  United  States 
government,  arranged  by  departments  and  bureaus;  also 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  483 

a  list  of  the  publications  of  State  governments,  of  So- 
cieties, and  of  books  published  in  series. 

This  last  issue  has  939  pages.  Its  only  defects  (aside 
from  its  inevitable  omissions  of  many  unrecorded  books) 
are  the  double  alphabet,  and  the  want  of  collation,  or  an 
indication  of  the  number  of  pages  in  each  work,  which 
should  follow  every  title.  Its  cost  in  bound  form  is  $15, 
at  v.-hich  the  two  preceding  American  catalogues  1876-8-1, 
and  188-1  to  1890  can  also  be  had,  while  the  catalogue  of 
books  in  print  in  187G,  published  in  1880,  is  quite  out  of 
print,  though  a  copy  turns  up  occasionally  from  some 
book-dealer's  stock. 

The  American  Catalogue  has  now  become  a  quinquen- 
nial issue,  gathering  the  publications  of  five  years  into  one 
alphabet;  and  it  is  supplemented  at  the  end  of  every  year 
by  the  "Annual  American  Catalogue,"  started  in  1886, 
which  gives,  in  about  400  pages,  in  its  first  alphabet,  colla- 
tions of  the  books  of  the  year  (a  most  important  feature, 
unfortunately  absent  from  the  quinquennial  American 
Catalogue.)  Its  second  alphabet  gives  authors,  titles,  and 
sometimes  subject-matters,  but  without  the  distribution 
into  subject-divisions  found  in  the  quin([uennial  catalogue; 
and  the  titles  are  greatly  a])ridgcd  from  tbe  full  record  of 
its  first  alphabet.     Its  price  is  $3.50  each  year. 

And  this  annual,  in  turn,  is  made  up  from  the  catalogues 
of  titles  of  all  publications,  which  appear  in  the  Publishers' 
Weeldy,  the  carefully  edited  organ  of  the  book  publishing 
interests  in  the  United  States.  This  periodical,  which  will 
be  found  a  prime  necessity  in  every  library,  originated  in 
New  York,  in  1855,  as  the  "American  Publishers'  Cir- 
cular," and  has  developed  into  the  recognized  aulbority  in 
American  pul)lications,  under  the  able  management  of  R. 
Ti.  Bowker  and  A.  rjrowoll.  l-'or  three  dollars  a  year,  it 
supplies  weekly  and  monthly  alphabetical  lists  of  whatever 


484  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READKKS. 

comes  from  llie  press,  in  book  form,  as  completely  as  the 
titles  can  be  gathered  from  every  source.  It  gives  valuable 
notes  after  most  titles,  defining  the  scope  and  idea  of  the 
work,  with  collations,  features  which  are  copied  into  the 
Annual  /Vmerican  Catalogue. 

I  must  not  omit  to  mention  among  American  biblio- 
graphies, although  published  in  London,  and  edited  by  a 
foreigner,  Mr.  N.  Triibner's  "Bibliographical  Guide  to 
American  literature:  a  classed  list  of  books  published  in 
the  United  States  during  the  last  forty  years."  This  book 
appeared  in  1859.  and  is  a  carefully  edited  bibliography, 
arranged  systematically  in  thirty-two  divisions  of  subjects, 
filling  714  pages  octavo.  It  gives  under  each  topic,  an 
alphabet  of  authors,  followed  by  titles  of  the  works,  given 
with  approximate  fullness,  followed  by  place  and  year  of 
publication,  but  without  publishers'  names.  The  number 
of  pages  is  also  given  where  ascertained,  and  the  price  of 
the  work  quoted  in  sterling  English  money.  This  work, 
by  a  competent  German-English  book-publisher  of  Lon- 
don, is  preceded  by  a  brief  history  of  American  literature, 
and  closes  with  a  full  index  of  authors  whose  works  are 
catalogued  in  it. 

We  come  now  to  by  far  the  most  comprehensive  and 
ambitious  attempt  to  cover  not  only  the  wide  field  of 
American  publications,  but  the  still  more  extensive  field 
of  books  relating  to  America,  which  has  ever  yet  been 
made.  I  refer  to  the  "Bibliotheca  Americana;  a  dic- 
tionary of  books  relating  to  America,"  by  Joseph  Sabin, 
begun  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  in  1868,  and  still  un- 
finished, its  indefatigable  compiler  having  died  in  1881, 
at  the  age  of  sixty.  This  vast  bibliographical  undertak- 
ing was  originated  by  a  variously-gifted  and  most  ener- 
getic man,  not  a  scholar,  but  a  bookseller  and  au.c+'-'^^O'^r. 
born  in  England.     Mr.  Sabin  is  said  to  have  compiled 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  485 

more  catalogues  of  private  libraries  that  have  been 
brought  to  the  auctioneer's  hammer,  than  any  man  who 
ever  lived  in  America.  He  bought  and  sold,  during  nearly 
twenty  years,  old  and  rare  books,  in  a  shop  in  Xassau  street, 
]^ew  York,  which  was  the  resort  of  book  collectors  and 
bibliophiles  without  number.  He  made  a  specialty  of 
Americana,  and  of  early  printed  books  in  English  litera- 
ture, crossing  the  Atlantic  twent3'-live  times  to  gather 
fresh  stores  with  which  to  feed  his  hungry  American 
customers.  During  all  tliese  years,  he  worked  steadily  at 
his  magnum  opus,  the  bibliography  of  America,  carrying 
with  him  in  his  many  journeys  and  voyages,  in  cars  or 
on  ocean  steamships,  copy  and  proofs  of  some  part  of  the 
work.  There  have  been  completed  about  ninety  parts, 
or  eighteen  thick  volumes  of  nearly  600  pages  each;  and 
since  his  death  the  catalogue  has  been  brought  do^vn  to 
the  letter  S,  mainly  by  Mr.  Wilberforce  Eames,  librarian 
of  the  Lenox  Library,  New  York.  Though  its  ultimate 
completion  must  be  regarded  as  uncertain,  the  great  value 
to  all  librarians,  and  students  of  American  bibliography 
or  history,  of  the  work  so  far  as  issued,  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. Mr.  Sabin  had  the  benefit  in  revising  the 
])roofs  of  most  of  the  work,  of  the  critical  knowledge  and 
large  experience  of  Mr.  Charles  A.  Cutter,  the  librarian 
of  the  Boston  Athenaeum  Library,  Avhose  catalogue  of  the 
Ijooks  in  that  institution,  in  five  goodly  volumes,  is  a 
monument  of  bibliographical  learning  and  industry. 
Sabin's  Dictionary  is  well  printed,  in  large,  clear  type, 
the  titles  being  frequently  annotated,  and  prices  at  auc- 
tion sales  of  the  rarer  and  earlier  books  noted.  Every 
known  edition  of  each  work  is  given,  and  the  initials  of 
])ub]ic  libraries  in  the  United  States,  to  tlic  number  of 
thirteen,  in  which  the  more  imporiant  works  are  found, 
are  appended.     In  not  a  few  cases,  where  no  coj)y  was 


486  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READEKS. 

known  to  the  compiler  iu  a  public  collection,  but  was 
found  in  a  private  library,  the  initials  of  its  owner  were 
given  instead. 

This  extensive  bibliography  was  published  solely  by 
subscription,  only  635  copies  being  printed  at  $2.50  a 
part,  so  that  its  cost  to  those  subscribing  was  about  $325 
unbound,  up  to  the  time  of  its  suspension.  The  first  part 
appeared  January  1,  1867,  although  Vol.  I.  bears  date 
New  York,  1868.  It  records  most  important  titles  in  full, 
with  (usually)  marks  denoting  omissions  where  such  are 
made.  In  the  case  of  many  rare  books  relating  to  America 
(and  especially  those  published  prior  to  the  IStli  century) 
the  collations  are  printed  so  as  to  show  what  each  line 
of  the  original  title  embraces,  i.  e.  with  vertical  marks  or 
dashes  between  the  matter  of  the  respective  lines.  This 
careful  description  is  invaluable  to  the  bibliographical 
student,  frequently  enabling  him  to  identify  editions,  or  to 
solve  doubts  as  to  the  genuineness  of  a  book-title  in  hand. 
The  collation  by  number  of  pages  is  given  in  all  cases 
where  the  book  has  been  seen,  or  reported  fully  to  the 
editor.  The  order  of  description  as  to  each  title  is  as 
follows:  (1)  Place  of  publication  (2)  publisher  (3)  year 
(4)  collation  and  size  of  book.  Notes  in  a  smaller  type 
frequently  convey  information  of  other  editions,  of 
prices  in  various  sabs,  of  minor  works  by  the  same 
writer,  etc. 

The  fullness  which  has  been  aimed  at  in  Sabin's 
American  bibliography  is  seen  in  the  great  number  of  ser- 
mons and  other  specimens  of  pamphlet  literature  which 
it  chronicles.  It  gives  also  the  titles  of  most  early 
American  magazines,  reviews,  and  other  periodicals,  ex- 
cept newspapers,  which  are  generally  omitted,  as  are  maps 
also.  As  an  example  of  the  often  minute  cataloguing  of 
the  work,  I  may  mention  that  no  less  than  eight  pages  are 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  487 

occupied  with  a  list  of  thj  various  publications  and  edi- 
tions of  books  by  Dr.  Jedediah  Morse,  an  author  of  whom 
few  of  the  present  generation  of  Americans  have  ever 
heard.  He  was  the  earliest  American  geographer  who 
published  any  comprehensive  books  upon  the  subject,  and 
his  numerous  Gazetteers  and  Geographies,  published 
from  1784  to  1826,  were  constantly  reprinted,  until  sup- 
planted by  more  full,  if  not  more  accurate  works. 

Upon  the  whole,  Sabin's  great  work,  although  so  far 
from  being  finished,  is  invaluable  as  containing  immeasur- 
ably more  and  fuller  titles  than  any  other  American  bib- 
liography. It  is  also  the  only  extensive  work  on  the  sub- 
ject whicli  covers  all  periods,  although  the  books  of  the 
last  thirty  years  must  chiefly  be  excepted  as  not  repre- 
sented. As  a  work  of  reference,  while  its  cost  and  scarcity 
may  prevent  the  smaller  public  libraries  from  possessing 
it,  it  is  always  accessible  in  the  libraries  of  the  larger 
cities,  where  it  is  among  the  foremost  works  to  be  con- 
sulted in  any  research  involving  American  publications, 
or  books  of  any  period  or  country  relating  to  America,  or 
its  numerous  sub-divisions. 

I  may  now  mention,  much  more  cursorily,  some  other 
bibliographies  pertaining  to  our  country.  The  late  Henry 
Stevens,  who  died  in  188G,  compiled  a  "Catalogue  of  the 
American  Books  in  the  Library  of  the  British  Museum." 
This  was  printed  ])y  the  j\[useum  authorities  in  1856,  and 
fills  754  octavo  pages.  Its  editor  was  a  highly  accom- 
j)lisbed  bil)liograj)her  and  book-merchant,  born  in  Ver- 
mont, but  during  tlie  last  forty  years  of  his  life  resided 
in  London,  wlierc  he  devoted  himself  to  his  profession 
with  great  learning  and  assiduity.  He  published  many 
catalogues  of  various  slocks  of  books  collected  by 
him,  under  such  titles  as  "Bil)liotheca  historica," 
"Bibliotheca  Americana,"  etc.,  in  which  the  books  were 


488  ,\,    BOOK    FOR    ALL    TxEADERS. 

carefully  described,  often  with  notes  illustrating  their  his- 
tory or  their  value.  He  became  an  authority  upon  rare 
books  and  early  editions,  and  made  a  valuable  catalogue 
of  the  Bibles  in  the  Caxton  exhibition  at  London,  in  1877, 
M'ith  bibliographical  commentary.  He  was  for  years  chief 
purveyor  of  the  British  Museum  Library  for  its  American 
book  purchases,  and  aided  the  late  James  Lenox  in  build- 
ing up  that  rich  collection  of  Americana  and  editions  of 
the  Scriptures  Avhich  is  now  a  part  of  the  New  York  Pub- 
lic Library.  His  catalogue  of  the  American  books  in  the 
British  Museum,  though  now  over  forty  years  old,  and 
supplanted  by  the  full  alphabetical  catalogue  of  that  en- 
tire library  since  published,  is  a  valuable  contribution  to 
American  bibliography. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  one  of  the  most  acute  and  learned  bib- 
liographers I  have  known.  He  w^as  a  man  of  marked  in- 
dividuality and  independent  views;  with  a  spice  of  eccen- 
tricity and  humor,  which  crept  into  all  his  catalogues, 
and  made  his  notes  highly  entertaining  reading.  Besides 
his  services  to  the  British  ]\Iuseum  Library,  in  building 
up  its  noble  collection  of  Americana,  and  in  whose  rooms 
he  labored  for  many  years,  with  the  aid  of  Panizzi  and 
his  successors,  whom  he  aided  in  return,  Stevens  collected 
multitudes  of  the  books  which  now  form  the  choice 
treasures  of  the  Lenox  library,  the  Carter  Brown  library, 
at  Providence,  the  Library  of  Congress,  and  many  more 
American  collections.  To  go  with  him  through  any  lot 
of  Americana,  in  one  of  his  enterprising  visits  to  ISTew 
York,  where  he  sometimes  came  to  market  his  overflowing 
stores  picked  up  in  London  and  on  the  continent,  was  a 
rare  treat.  Every  book,  almost,  brought  out  some  verbal 
criticism,  anecdote  or  reminiscence  of  his  book-hunting 
experiences,  which  began  in  America,  and  extended  all 
over  Europe. 


BIBLIOGEAPHY.  489 

He  was  not  only  an  indefatigable  collector,  but  a  most 
industrious  and  accurate  bibliographer,  doing  more  work 
in  that  field,  probably,  than  any  other  American.  He 
wrote  a  singularly  careful,  though  rapid  hand,  as  plain 
and  condensed  as  print,  and  in  days  before  modern  devices 
for  manifolding  writing  were  known,  he  copied  out  his 
invoices  in  duplicate  or  triplicate  in  liis  own  hand,  with 
titles  in  full,  and  frequent  descriptive  notes  attached. 
His  many  catalogues  are  notal)le  for  the  varied  learning 
embodied.  He  was  a  most  intelligent  and  vigilant  book 
collector  for  more  than  forty  years,  his  early  labors  em- 
bracing to'mis  in  Xew  York  and  New  England,  as  pur- 
veyor for  material  for  Peter  Force,  of  Washington,  whose 
American  Archives  were  then  in  course  of  preparation. 
Among  the  library  collectors  who  absorbed  large  portions 
of  his  gathered  treasures,  were  James  Lenox,  Jared 
Sparks,  George  Livermore,  John  Carter  Brown,  Henry  C. 
Murphy,  George  Brinley,  the  American  Geographical  So- 
ciety, and  many  historical  societies.  He  was  an  authority 
on  all  the  early  voyages,  and  wrote  much  upon  them.  No 
one  knew  more  about  early  Bibles  than  Henry  Stevens. 

His  enterprise  and  ambition  for  success  led  him  to  bold 
and  sometimes  extensive  purchases.  He  bought  about 
1865,  the  library  of  Baron  von  TTniiiboldt,  and  this  and 
other  large  ventures  embarrassed  him  much  in  later  years. 
He  became  the  owner  of  the  Franklin  manuscri])ts,  left 
in  London  by  the  great  man's  grandson,  and  collected 
during  many  years  a  library  of  Frank! iniana,  whicli  came 
to  the  Library  of  Congress  when  the  Franklin  manuscripts 
were  purchased  for  the  State  Department  in  1881. 

He  was  proud  of  his  country  and  his  State,  always  sign- 
ing himself  "Henry  Stevens,  of  Vermont."  His  ])ook- 
plate  had  engraved  beneath  his  name,  the  titles,  "G.  M.  B. : 
F.  S.  A."     The  last,  of  course,  designated  him  as  Fellow 


i90  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  London,  but  the  first 
puzzled  even  his  friends,  until  it  was  interpreted  as  signi- 
fying "Green  Mountain  Boy."  His  brother  used  jocosely 
to  assure  me  that  it  really  meant  "Grubber  of  Musty 
Books." 

As  to  his  prices  for  books,  while  some  collectors  com- 
plained of  them  as  "very  stiff,"  they  appear,  when  com- 
pared with  recent  sales  of  Americana,  at  auction  and  in 
sale  catalogues,  to  be  quite  moderate.  The  late  historian 
Motley  told  me  that  Mr.  Stevens  charged  more  than  any 
one  for  Dutch  books  relating  to  America;  but  Mr.  Mot- 
ley's measure  of  values  was  guaged  by  the  low  prices  of 
Dutch  booksellers  which  prevailed  during  his  residence 
in  the  Netherlands,  for  years  before  the  keen  demand  from 
America  had  rendered  the  numerous  Dutch  tracts  of  the 
West  India  Company,  etc.,  more  scarce  and  of  greater 
commercial  value  than  they  bore  at  the  middle  of  this 
century. 

As  treating  of  books  by  American  authors,  though  not 
so  much  a  complete  bibliography  of  their  works,  as  a 
critical  history,  with  specimens  selected  from  each  writer, 
Duyckincks  "Cyclopaedia  of  American  Literature"  de- 
serves special  mention.  The  last  edition  appeared  at 
Philadelphia,  in  1875,  in  two  large  quarto  volumes. 
Equally  worthy  of  note  is  the  compilation  by  E.  C.  Sted- 
man  and  Ellen  M.  Hutchinson,  in  eleven  volumes,  entitled 
"Library  of  American  Literature,"  New  York,  1887-90. 
A  most  convenient  hand-book  of  bibliographical  reference 
is  Oscar  F.  Adams's  "Dictionary  of  American  Authors," 
Boston,  1897,  which  gives  in  a  compact  duodecimo  volume, 
the  name  and  period  of  nearly  every  American  writer, 
with  a  brief  list  of  his  principal  works,  and  their  date  of 
publication,  in  one  alphabet. 

Of  notable  catalogues  of  books  relating  to  America, 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  491 

rather  than  of  American  publications,  should  be  named 
AVliite  Kennet's  "Bibliotheca  Americana  primorJia/"  the 
earliest  known  catalogue  devoted  to  American  bibliogra- 
phy, London,  1713;  0.  Eich,  Catalogue  of  Books  relating 
to  America,  1500-1700,  London,  1832;  Kich,  '"Bibliotheea 
Americana  nova,"  books  printed  between  1700  and  1844, 
two  volumes,  London,  1835-4G;  H.  Harrisse,  "Bibliotheca 
Americana  vetustissima,"  New  York,  18(5(3,  and  its  supple- 
ment, Paris,  1872,  both  embracing  rare  early  Americana, 
published  from  1492  to  1551.  This  is  a  critically  edited 
bibliography  of  the  rarest  books  concerning  America  that 
appeared  in  the  first  half  century  after  its  discovery. 

The  important  field  of  American  local  history  has  given 
birth  to  many  bibliographies.  The  earliest  to  be  noted  is 
1[.  E.  Ludewig's  "Literature  of  American  Local  History," 
Xew  York,  1846.  Thirty  years  later  came  F.  B.  Perkins's 
"Check  List  for  American  Local  History,"  Boston,  1876; 
followed  by  A.  P.  C.  Griffin's  "Index  of  articles  upon 
American  Local  History  in  historical  collections,"  Boston, 
1889,  and  by  his  "Index  of  the  literature  of  American 
local  history  in  collections  published  in  1890-95,"  Boston, 
1896.  Closely  allied  to  the  catalogues  of  city,  town,  and 
county  histories,  come  the  bibliographies  of  genealogies 
and  family  histories,  of  which  the  last  or  4th  edition 
of  D.  S.  Durrie's  "Bibliographia  gcncalogica  Americana; 
an  alphabetical  index  to  American  genealogies  in  county 
and  town  histories,  printed  genealogies,  and  kindred 
v.'orks,"  Albany,  1895,  is  the  most  comprehensive  and  in- 
dispensable. This  work  gives  us  an  al])liabet  of  family 
names,  under  each  of  which  are  grouped  the  titles  of  books 
in  which  that  special  name  is  treated,  with  citation  of  the 
page.  It  also  gives  tlie  name  and  date  of  publication  of 
the  special  family  genealogies  which  are  separately 
printed,  whether  book  or  i)anii)hlet,  willi  number  of  pages 


■192  A    BOOK    FCR    ALL    READERS. 

in  each.  The  work  is  by  a  librarian,  to  whose  laborious 
diligence  Americans  are  deeply  indebted. 

Among  other  bibliographies  of  genealogy  are  Munsell'a 
"American  Genealogist:  a  catalogue  of  family  histories," 
Albaiw,  1897.  This  work  aims  to  give  the  titles  of  all 
separately  printed  American  genealogies,  in  an  alphabet 
of  family  names,  giving  titles  in  full,  with  place  and  year 
of  publication,  name  of  publisher,  and  collation,  or  num- 
ber of  pages. 

For  the  multitudinous  public  documents  of  the  United 
States,  consult  B.  P.  Poore's  "Descriptive  catalogue  of  the 
government  publications  of  the  United  States,  1775-1881," 
Washington,  1885,  and  F.  A.  Crandall,  Cheek  list  of  public 
documents,  debates  and  proceedings  from  1st  to  53d  Con- 
gress (1789-1895),  Washington,  1895;  also. 

Comprehensive  index  to  the  publications  of  the  United 
States  government,  1889-1893.  The  same — United  States 
Catalogue  of  Public  Documents,  1893  to  1895,  Washing- 
ton, 1896.  Several  biennial  or  annual  lists  of  United 
States  Documents  have  followed. 

As  supplementing  these  extensive  catalogues,  we  have 
in  the  Appendix  to  the  "American  Catalogue"  of  1885  a 
List  of  United  States  Government  publications  from  1880 
to  1884;  in  that  of  1891  a  List  from  1884  to  1890;  and 
in  that  of  1896  a  List  covering  the  years  1891  to  1895. 

A  most  important  recent  bibliography  is  found  in  H.  C. 
Bolton's  "Catalogue  of  Scientific  and  Technical  Periodi- 
cals, 1665-1895,"  Washington,  1897. 

There  are  also  many  sale  catalogues  of  American  books, 
with  prices,  some  of  which  may  be  noted,  e.  g.  J.  E.  Smith, 
Bibliotheca  Americana,  London,  1865;  F.  Miiller,  Cata- 
logue of  books  and  pamphlets  relating  to  America,  Am- 
sterdam, 1877,  and  later  years.  Ternaux-Compans,  "Bib- 
liotheque  Americaine;"  books  printed  before  1700,  Paris, 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  493 

1837:  P.  Tromel,  "Bibliotlieque  Americaine/'  Leipzig, 
18G1 :  D.  B.  Warden,  "Bibliotheque  Americaine,"  Paris, 
1840:  R.  Clarke  &  Co.,  "Bibliotheca  Americana,"  Cincin- 
nati, 1874,  1878,  1887,  1891,  and  1893. 

There  are,  besides,  important  catalogues  of  some  private 
libraries,  devoted  wholl}^  or  chiefly  to  books  relating  to 
America.  Among  these,  the  most  extensive  and  costly  is 
John  R.  Bartlett's  catalogue  of  the  library  of  J.  Carter 
Brown,  of  Providence,  in  four  sumptuous  volumes,  with 
fac-similes  of  early  title-pages,  of  which  bibliography  only 
fifty  copies  were  printed.  It  is  entitled,  "Bibliotheca 
Americana:  a  catalogue  of  books  relating  to  North  and 
South  America,"  1482-1800,  4  vols,  large  8vo.,  Providence, 
1870-82.  The  Carter  Brown  Library  is  now  the  richest 
collection  of  Americana  in  any  private  library  in  the 
world. 

Among  catalogues  of  libraries  sold  by  auction,  and 
composed  largely  of  American  books,  are  those  of  John 
A.  Rice,  New  York,  1870:  W.  Menzies,  New  York,  1875: 
Ceorge  Brinley,  in  five  volumes,  sold  1878  to  1886:  Henry 
C.  Murphy,  New  York,  1884:  S.  L.  M.  Barlow,  New  York, 
1889:  and  Brayton  Ives,  New  York,  1891. 

The  wide  field  of  bibliography  of  English  literature  has 
given  birth  to  many  books.  Only  the  more  comprehensive 
can  here  be  noted. 

R.  Watt's  Bibliotheca  Britannica,  in  J'oiir  ([uarlo 
volumes,  Edinburgh,  1824,  although  now  old,  is  still  an 
indispensable  work  of  reference,  giving  multitudes  of  titles 
of  English  books  and  pamphlets  not  found  in  any  other 
l)ibliography.  It  of  course  abounds  in  errors,  most  of 
which  have  been  copied  in  Allibone's  Dictionary  of  Eng- 
lish literature.  This  extensive  work  is  a  monumcnl  of 
labor,  to  which  the  industrious  compiler  dcvolcil  many 
years,  dying  of  too  intense  study,  at  CJIasgow,  at  the  early 


494  X    BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

age  of  forty-fivo,  in  the  year  1819.  The  issue  of  the  work 
in  18'24:,  being  thus  posthumous,  its  errors  and  omissions 
are  hirgely  accounted  for  by  the  author's  inability  to  cor- 
rect the  press.  The  plan  of  the  work  is  unique.  Vols.  I 
and  2  contain  the  alphabet  of  authors  and  titles,  with 
dates  and  publishers'  prices  when  known.  Vols.  3  and 
4  contain  an  alphabet  of  subjects,  in  which  the  titles  re- 
appear, with  a  key  alphabet  in  italic  letters  attached  to 
each  title,  by  which  reference  is  made  to  the  author-cata- 
logue, at  a  fixed  place,  where  all  the  works  of  the  author 
are  recorded. 

The  work  is  printed  in  small  type,  with  two  crowded 
columns  on  a  page,  thus  containing  an  enormous  amount 
of  matter.  The  key  is  quickly  learned,  and  by  its  aid,  and 
the  alphabet  of  subjects,  the  librarian  can  find  out  the 
authors  of  many  anonymous  books.  Watt  is  the  only 
general  bibliography  of  English  literature  wdiich  gives 
most  of  the  obscure  writers  and  their  works. 

Lowndes'  Bibliographer's  Manual  of  English  Literature, 
in  its  second  edition,  enlarged  by  H.  G.  Bohn,  is  a  most 
indispensable  bibliography.  This  work  is  arranged  alpha- 
betically by  authors'  names,  and  aims  to  record  all  im- 
portant books  published  in  Great  Britain,  from  the  ear- 
liest times  to  about  A.  D.  1834.  It  is  in  eleven  parts,  or 
6  vols.  16  mo.  of  very  portable  size,  Lond.,  1857-65.  While 
it  gives  collations  of  the  more  important  works,  with  pub- 
lishers and  dates,  it  fails  to  record  many  editions  of  the 
same  work.  Its  quoted  prices  represent  the  original  pub- 
lisher's price,  with  very  frequent  additions  of  the  sale 
prices  obtained  at  book  auctions.  The  chief  defect  of 
Lowndes'  Manual  is  its  total  lack  of  any  index  of  sub- 
jects. 

S,  Austin  Allibone's  "Critical  Dictionary  of  English  lit- 
erature,"  Philadelphia,    1858-71,    3   volumes,   with    sup- 


BIBLIOGRAPUY.  495 

plement  by  John  F.  Kirk,  in  2  vols.,  Philadelphia,  1891, 
is  a  copious  reference  book,  which,  in  spite  of  its  many 
errors  and  crudities,  should  be  in  all  libraries.  It  con- 
tains in  abbreviated  form  most  of  the  titles  in  Watt  and 
Lowndes,  with  the  addition  of  American  authors,  and  of 
British  books  published  since  the  period  covered  by 
liOwndes.  The  three  volumes  of  Allibone  accompany 
the  titles  of  works  by  noted  authors  with  many  critical 
remarks,  copied  mostly  from  reviews  and  literary  journals. 
This  feature  of  the  book,  which  makes  it  rather  a  work  of 
literary  history  and  criticism  than  a  bibliography  pure 
and  simple,  has  been  dropped  in  Mr.  Kirk's  supplement, 
which  thus  becomes  properly  a  bibliography.  The  publi- 
cations of  England  and  America,  from  about  1850  to  1890, 
are  more  fully  chronicled  in  this  work  of  Kirk  than  in  any 
other  bibliography. 

The  important  "English  Catalogue  of  Books,"  from  A. 
D.  1835  to  1897,  in  5  vols.,  with  its  valuable  Index  of  Sub- 
jects, in  4  vols.,  from  1857  up  to  1889,  is  so  constantly 
useful  as  to  be  almost  indispensable  in  a  public  library. 
It  records,  in  provokingly  brief  one-line  titles,  with  pub- 
lisher's name,  year  of  issue,  and  price,  all  books  published 
in  Great  Britain  whose  titles  could  be  secured.  It  thus 
subserves  the  same  purpose  for  English  publications, 
which  the  American  Catalogue  fulfills  for  those  of  the 
United  States.  Both  are  in  effect  greatly  condensed  bib- 
liographies, enabling  the  librarian  to  locate  most  of  the 
jjublishcd  literature  in  the  English  language  for  many 
years  back.  The  English  catalogue,  from  1897  to  date,  is 
supplemented  by  its  annual  issues,  entiilcd  "ilie  Englisli 
Catalogue  of  Books  for  1898,"  etc. 

I  have  said  that  accuracy  should  be  one  of  tlic  canlinal 
aims  of  the  ]ibrari;ni:  ami  this  Ijccausc  in  tliat  |)rnfcssiun 
it  is  y)eculiarly  iini)f)rtant.      l*.ibli().LTa|)liy  is  a  sludy  wliidi 


496  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

approaches  very  nearly  to  the  rank  of  an  exact  science; 
and  the  practice  of  it,  in  application  to  the  daily  work  of 
the  librarian,  is  at  once  a  school  of  accuracy,  and  a  test 
of  ability.  A  habit  of  analytical  methods  should  be  assid- 
uously cultivated,  without  which  much  time  will  be  lost 
in  fruitless  searches  in  the  wrong  books  to  find  what  one 
wants.  As  a  single  illustration  of  this  need  of  method, 
suppose  that  you  want  to  find  the  title  of  a  certain  book 
with  its  full  description,  a  want  likely  to  occur  every  hour 
in  the  day,  and  sometimes  many  times  an  hour.  The  book 
is  perhaps  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Life  of  N'apoleon, — 9  vols., 
London,  1827,  and  your  object  is  to  trace  its  title,  pub- 
lished price,  etc.,  among  the  numerous  bibliographies  of 
literature.  You  begin  by  a  simple  act  of  analysis — thus. 
This  is  a  London,  not  an  American  book — hence  it  is  use- 
less to  look  in  any  American  catalogue.  It  is  written  in 
English,  so  you  are  dispensed  from  looking  for  it  in  any 
French  or  other  foreign  bibliography.  Its  date  is  1827, 
London.  Therefore  among  the  three  leading  English  ref- 
erence books  in  bibliography,  which  are  Watt's  Bibliotheca 
Britannica,  Lowndes'  Bibliographer's  Manual,  and  the 
English  Catalogue,  you  at  once  eliminate  the  former  as 
not  containing  the  book.  Why  do  you  do  this?  Because 
Watt's  great  work,  in  four  huge  quartos,  though  invalua- 
ble for  the  early  English  literature,  stops  with  books  pub- 
lished before  the  date  of  its  issue,  1824.  Your  book  is 
published  in  1827,  and  of  course  could  not  appear  in  a 
catalogue  of  1824.  Shall  you  refer  then  to  the  English 
Catalogue  for  its  title?  No,  because  the  five  volumes  of 
that  useful  work  (though  some  imperfect  book  lists  were 
published  earlier),  begin  with  the  year  1835,  and  the  book 
you  seek  bears  date  of  1827.  You  are  then  reduced,  by 
this  simple  process  of  analyzing  in  your  mind  the  various 


BIBLIOGEAPHT.  497 

sources  of  information,  and  rejecting  all  except  cue,  name- 
ly Lowndes'  Bibliographer's  Manual,  to  a  search  in  a  sin- 
gle catalogue  for  your  title.  This  simi)lifies  matters 
greatly,  and  saves  all  the  time  which  might  otherwise  have 
been  lost  in  hunting  fruitlessly  through  several  works  of 
reference.  Lowndes'  invaluable  Manual  was  published  in 
1834,  and  though  a  second  edition,  edited  by  Bohn,  ap- 
peared thirty  years  later,  it  does  not  contain  books  pub- 
ished  after  that  date,  unless  they  are  later  editions  of 
works  issued  earlier,  ^'ou  lind  in  it  your  Scott's  Xapnjeon, 
date  1837,  with  its  published  price,  £4.  14.  (>,  and  an 
account  of  other  later  editions  of  the  book.  Of 
course  you  will  oljserve  that  it  is  necessary  to  know 
what  period  of  years  is  covered  by  the  various  bib- 
liographies, and  to  carry  those  dates  perpetually  in  your 
memory,  in  order  thus  to  simplify  searches,  and  save  time. 
Onee  learned,  you  will  have  the  comfort  of  knowing  where 
to  turn  for  light  upon  any  book,  and  the  faculty  of  accu- 
rate memory  will  reward  the  pains  taken  to  ac(iuire  it. 

I  must  not  omit  to  include,  in  noting  the  more  useful 
and  important  English  bibliographies,  the  very  copious 
list  of  works  appended  to  each  biography  of  British 
writers,  in  the  new  "DictionaiT  of  National  Biography,'' 
JiOnd.,  ISS.'^-inOO.  This  extensive  work  is  nearly  fin- 
ished iiKiliout  *!.")  volumes.  ;mi|  lonstitutes  a  rich  thesaurus 
of  informatioji  aljout  all  IJritish  authors,  except  living 
ones. 

Living  characters,  considered  notable,  and  brief  note  of 
their  books,  are  recorded  in  "IMen  and  Women  of  the 
Time,"  15th  ed.  London,  1890— but  this  book,  although 
highly  useful,  is  far  from  being  a  bi])1ioL;i-;i|iliy. 

T  should  not  omit  to  mention  among  useful  librarians* 
aids,  the  "Book  I'riees  C'urrenf  ;  record  of  ]iriees  at  which 
books  have  been  sold  ;it  iiueiion."     This  Lomlon  |>niilica- 


498  A    BOOK    FOR    ALL    EEADEKS. 

tion  began  with  the  year  1887.  No  sales  are  reported 
of  books  bringing  less  than  one  pound  sterling.  The 
book-sales  of  1898  were  reported  in  1899  of  this  issue, 
and  the  book  is  published  in  each  case  the  next  year.  The 
similar  catalogue  entitled  "American  Book  Prices  Cur- 
rent" was  begun  with  1895,  being  compiled  from  the  sale 
catalogues  of  American  auctioneers,  for  that  year,  and 
the  prices  brought  at  auction  in  New  York,  Boston,  Phila- 
delphia, and  Chicago,  are  recorded  for  all  notable  books, 
but  limited  to  works  bringing  as  much  as  $3  or  upward. 
rive  years'  reports,  in  as  many  volumes,  have  now  been 
issued,  and  the  publication  is  to  be  continued.  Its  utility 
of  course  consists  in  informing  librarians  or  collectors  of 
the  most  recent  auction  values  of  books.  At  the  same 
time,  a  word  of  caution  is  required,  since  it  is  not  safe  to 
judge  of  average  commercial  values,  from  any  isolated  bid 
at  an  auction  sale. 

A  very  useful  classed  catalogue,  published  by  the  British 
Museum  library,  and  edited  by  G.  K.  Fortescue,  an  as- 
sistant librarian,  is  the'so-called  "Subject-index  to  modern 
works,"  of  which  three  volumes  have  appeared,  beginning 
with  the  accessions  of  1880-85,  each  covering  five  years 
additions  of  new  works,  in  all  European  languages,  to  that 
library.  The  third  volume  embraces  the  years  1890  to 
1895,  and  appeared  in  1896.  As  this  is  not  confined  to 
works  in  English,  it  should  be  classed  with  universal 
bibliography.  As  containing  most  of  the  latest  books  of 
any  note,  all  three  volumes  are  important  aids  to  research. 
They  are  printed  in  large  type,  in  which  it  is  a  refreshment 
to  the  eye  to  read  titles,  after  the  small  and  obscure  print 
of  Watt's  Bibliotheca  Britannica,  and  the  but  little  better 
type  of  Lowndes'  Manual,  and  of  the  English  Catalogue. 
A  collation  of  pages  is  also  added  in  most  cases,  and  the 
importance  of  this  can  hardly  be  overrated.     These  cata- 


BIBLIOQEAPHT.  499 

logues  of  the  British  Museum  Library  abound  in  pamph- 
lets, English,  French,  German,  Italian,  etc.,  evincing  how 
large  a  share  of  attention  is  given  to  the  minor  literature 
coming  from  the  press  in  the  more  recent  years. 

W.  li.  D.  Adams's  "Dictionary  of  English  Literature/' 
London,  18S0,  and  later,  in  a  compact  volume,  gives  au- 
thors and  titles  of  the  more  important  English  and  Ameri- 
can books.  Also,  in  the  same  alphabet,  an  index  to  the 
titles,  as  well  as  authors,  by  the  first  word,  and  to  many 
sayings  or  quotations,  with  their  original  sources.  It  is 
a  highly  useful  book,  although  its  small  bulk  leaves  it 
far  from  being  a  comprehensive  one. 

Chambers'  Cyclopaedia  of  English  Literature,  in  2  vols., 
London,  1876,  has  an  account  of  the  most  notable  British 
writers,  with  specimens  of  their  works,  and  forms  what 
may  be  termed  an  essential  part  of  the  equipment  of  every 
public  library. 

The  Library  Association  of  the  United  Kingdom,  since 
1888,  the  date  of  its  organization,  has  published  Transac- 
tions and  Proceedings;  also,  since  1889,  "The  Library,"  a 
periodical  with  bibliographical  information. 

It  may  be  noted,  without  undue  expression  of  pride, 
that  America  first  set  the  example  of  an  organized  na- 
tional association  of  Librarians  (founded  in  187G)  followed 
the  same  year  by  a  journal  devoted  to  Library  interests. 
That  extremely  useful  periodical,  the  Library  Journal,  is 
now  in  its  twenty-fourth  volume.  Its  successive  issues 
liave  contained  lists  of  nearly  all  new  bibliograj)hical  works 
and  catalogues  published,  in  whatever  language. 

The  London  Publisher's  Circular,  first  established  in 
1838,  is  a  weekly  organ  of  the  book-publishing  trade,  aim- 
ing to  record  the  titles  of  all  British  publications  as  tliey 
appear  from  the  press.  It  gives,  in  an  alphabet  by  au- 
tbors'  names,  the  titles  in  much  abbreviated  form,  with 


500  A   BOOK    FOR    ALL    READERS. 

publisher,  size  in  inches,  collation,  price,  and  date,  with 
a  fairly  good  index  of  titles  or  subjects,  in  the  same  al- 
phabet. Covering  much  the  same  ground,  as  a  publishers' 
periodical,  is  "The  Bookseller,"  issued  monthly  since  1858, 
wlih  lists  of  the  new  issues  of  the  British  press,  and  criti- 
cal notices.  In  addition  to  the  English  catalogue,  there 
is  the  extensive  Whitaker's  "Eeference  catalogue  of  cur- 
rent literature,"  published  every  year,  which  now  makes 
two  large  volumes,  and  embraces  the  trade  catalogues  of 
English  publishers,  bound  up  in  alphabetical  order,  with 
a  copious  index,  by  authors  and  titles,  in  one  alphabet, 
prefixed. 

While  on  English  bibliographies,  I  must  note  the  im- 
portant work  on  local  history,  by  J.  P.  Anderson,  "Book 
of  British  Topography,"  London,  1881.  This  gives,  in 
an  alphabet  of  counties,  titles  of  all  county  histories  or 
descriptive  works  of  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and 
Wales,  followed  in  each  county  by  a  list  of  town  histories 
or  topographical  works.  The  arrangement  under  each 
town  is  chronological.  Its  only  want  is  a  collation  of  the 
books.  British  genealogy,  or  the  history  of  families,  is 
treated  bibliographically  in  G.  W.  Marshall's  "The  Gene- 
alogist's Guide,"  London,  1893,  which  gives  an  alphabet 
of  family  names,  with  references  in  great  detail  to  county 
and  town  histories,  pedigrees,  heralds'  visitations,  geneal- 
ogies, etc.,  all  over  Great  Britain,  in  which  any  family  is 
treated. 

The  wide  field  of  foreign  bibliography,  by  countries,  can- 
not here  be  entered  upon,  nor  can  I  now  treat  of  the  still 
more  extensive  range  of  works  devoted  to  the  bibliogra- 
phy of  various  subjects. 


INDEX. 


Access  to  shelves,  215-225 
Accurac3',  rarity  of,  254-257 
Adams   (0.  F.)   Dictionary  of 

American  authors,  490 
Adams  (W.  H.  D.)  Dictionary' 
of  English  literature,  499 
•  Administration,     faculty     of, 

249 
Advertising',   library,   353-356 
Aids  to  readers,  190-214 
Alexandrian   library,    107,   289 
Allibone    (S.   A.)   Critical   dic- 
tionary of  English  litera- 
ture, 494-5 
Alphabeting  titles,  380,   388-9 
American    book    prices,    cur- 
rent,   1895-99,    498 
American      catalogue,      1876- 

1899,  481-484 
American  Library  Association 
catalogue  of  5,000  books,  25, 

371 
foundation   of,  499 
list  of  novelists,  22 
on  open  slielves,  223 
on  size-notation,  390 
Americana,  bibliographies  of, 
472-493 
rare,  454-456 
what  are,  473 
Anderson     (J.     P.)     book    of 

r.ritish  topography,  500 
Arabic  figures,  81 
Art  of  reading,  171-189 
Art,  lesson  from,  24 
Assistants  in   libraries 
appointment  of,  337-339 
qualifu-itions    of,    242-274 
rcgiilatio?is  for,  341-345 
Astor  library,  N.  Y.,  35,  306 

mutilation  in,  137,  140 
Aiic-lion  snlcs,  38-40,  45-47,  457 
Authorship,  271-2 


Bad  books,   20-24,  281-2 
Bartlett  (J.R.)  catalogue  of  J. 
Carter  Brown  library',  493 
Bay  Psalm  book,  455 
Beckford  library  sale,  74,  457-8 
Beecher  (H.  W.)  on  books,  15 
Bibliography,  459-500 
accessibility  of,  463-4 
bibliographies  of,  469-471 
classification  of,  464-5 
definition  of,  459 
earliest  American,  473 
early  works  in,  465 
no  full  American,  475 
of    American    publications, 

472-493 
selection  of  works  in,  462 
Binding  of  books,   50-87,   93-4 
colors  in,  57 
desiderata  in,  52 
how  a    bibliomaniac  binds, 

432 
importance  of,  87 
lettering  titles.  72,  78-83 
machine  methods,  62-3 
marbling  and  gilding,  68-9, 

73 
materials  for,  53 
rcbiiuling  methods,  64 
I'.iography,   4-7,   17 

discrepancies   in,   210-12 
living  characters,   197 
Blake  (A.  V.)  American  book, 
sellers'      trade-list      cata- 
logue, 479 
Boccaccio  of  1471,  sale  of,  46 
Bolton    (ir.    C.)    catalogue   of 
scientific     and     teclinical 
periodicals,  492 
Book    binding,   50-87,   93-4 
I'.ook   l)uying,  33-49 
Book  covering,  97 
Book-marks,   115 

(501) 


502 


INDEX. 


Book  plates,  90-93,   97-100 
Book   prices   current,   1887-99, 
497-8 
American,  1895-99,  498 
Book     shops,     second     hand, 

42-45,  458 
Book   supports,   96,    110 
Book  worms,   108 
Books,    cheap    and    poor   edi- 
tions of,  30 
Books,  choice  of,  3-32 
Books  for  public  libraries,  se- 
lection of,  15-32,  361 
Books  of  reference,  16,  462-3 
Books,  three  classes  of,  182 
Books  -which  have  helped  me, 

183 
Books, — see  Beading 
Bores,  how  to  treat,  259 
Boston      Athenaeum    library, 
305,  485 
early  pamphlets  in,  149 
Boston  public  library,  315 
appointments  in,  338 
languages  demanded,  247 
Bowker  (R.  E.)  American  cat- 
alogue, 482-3 
Publishers'  weeklj',  483 
British  ^luseum  librarj' 
appointments  in,  338 
catalogue  of,  396-399,  498 

its  defects,  398 
classification,   367 
mutilation  in,   137-8 
trustees  of,  340 
Brown   (J.  Carter)   library  ot 

Americana,   493 
Brunet  (J.  C.)   Manuel  du  li- 

braire,  467 
Brv  (De)  Voyages,  449,  451 
Buildings,  librar!,%  321-333 
cost  of,  331 
light  in,  325 
location  of,  323-4 
many  mistakes  in,  321 
materials  for,  324 
periodical  room,  328 
shelving,  325 


Bulwer-Lytton     (E.  L.)    writ- 
ings of,  23,  174 
Burnham  (T.  O.  H.  P.),  44 
Bury,  Richard  de,  292 
Buying  of  books,  33-49 

methods  of,  36-37 
Calf  binding,  55 
Campbell  (John),  45 
Capitals,   how   to  be  used   in 

catalogues,  378,  387 
Card  catalogue  system,  393 

its  defects,  393-4 

how  obviated,  394-6 
Cards,  for  catalogues,  393 
Carlyle    (Thomas) 

life  of  Cromwell,  148 

on  librarians,  249 

on  reading,  171 
Carnegie    (Andrew) 

gifts  to  libraries,  315 
Catalogue  of  all  books  print- 
ed in  the  U.  S.  1804,  478-9 
Catalogues,  373-399 

abridging  titles,  382-3 

accession,  386 

auction,  38-9 

card  system  for,  393 

chronology  of  authors,  381, 
389,  398 

classed,  374-5.  383 

collation.s  in,  379 

cross  references,  377 

Cutter's  rules  for,  375 

deficiencies      of    American, 
473-476 

dictionary,  373-5,  383-4 

English,  383,  495 

errors  in,  384-5,  388 

imprints,  how  given,    379 

kinds  of,  373 

of  British  Museum  library, 
396-399,  498 

printing,       advantages      of, 
395-6 

rules  for,  375-381 

sale,  value  of,  33-4,  37 

shelf,   386 

size-notation  in,  389-391 

use  of  capitals  in,  378,  387 


INDEX. 


503 


Caxton's  press,  books,  451 
Census  of  wealth,  futility  of, 

194-6 
Chambers'      Cj-clopaedia      of 

English    literature,    499 
Children's   books,    276,   27S 

reading-rooms,  329-30 
Choice  of  books,  3-32,  277,  335 
Chronology    of    authors,   381, 

398 
Classic  authors,  30 
Classification     of     books,  3G2- 
372 
application  of,  366 
Bibliotheque  nationale,  sys- 
tem of,  368 
British  museum,  system  of, 

368 
Brunet's  system  of,  367 
close  classification,  364-5 
conflict  of  systems,  362-3 
Crunden's  verses  on,  430 
Cutter,  system  of,  369 
De\ve3%  sj'stem  of,  370 
Fletcher,   sj-stem  of,  372 
fixed   shelf   location,   371 
Library    of    Congress,    sys- 
tem of,  368 
Cleaning  books,  103-4,  127-130 
Clergymen,    some   book-abus- 
ing, 138,  140 
Cleveland   public  library 
fiction  experience,  27 
methods  of  selections,  31 
Cogswell  (J.  (i.),  35 
Collation,  61,  379 
Collier,  J.    I'ayne,    as  a  cata- 
loguer, 385 
Congressional  library — src  Li- 

Vjrary  of  Congress 
Copy  tax,  origin  of,  400 

rationale  of,  406,  409 
Copyright  and   libraries,  400- 
416 
aggregate     coityrights     en 

tered.  410 
and     T>il)rary     of    Coiigiess, 

404-411 
books  not  entered,  474 


Copyright — 

duration  of,  413 
foundation  of,  402,  412 
history  of,  403 
in  the  Constitution,  401 
international,  why,   412-13 
origin  of,  401 
perpetual,  402,  413 
provisions  of.  414 
Counting  a  library,  350,  386 
Courtesy,  in  libraries,  250,  261 
Croton  bug,  109 
Crowding  of  books  on  shelves, 

116-17 
Crunden     (F.    M.)     verses    on 

classification,  430 
Cutter  (C.  A.)  Boston  Athen^ 
aenm  catalogue,  485 
classification,    430 
rules  for  catalogue,  375 
Sabin's   Bibliotheca   Ameri- 
cana, 485 
Cutting  edges,  60-61,  67 
Damage  to  books,  see  Injuries 
Damp,  an  enemy  of  books,  104 
Dates,  errors  in,  210-12 
Dates   of   books,    ancient   ex- 
pression  of,   391-393 
Decimal  system,  370,  390 
Denis    (F.)    Nouveau     manual 

de  bibliographic,  4G8-9 
Dewey  (Melvil)  classification, 
370 
remark  by,  433 
Dictionary    catalogues,   373-5, 

383-4  ' 
Dictionary  of  national   biog- 
raphy, 197,  497 
Dime  novels,  21,  281 
Documents     (U.     S.     public) 

catalogues,  492 
Dogs-earing  books,  114 
"Dont's,"  list  of  proj)cr  warn- 
ings, 134 
Dujjlicalcs     ill     Iil)rarics,     31, 

167-8 
Diirric    ( i).    S.)    I'ibiiographia 
gctiealogica       Americana, 
491 


504 


INDEX. 


Dust,  in  libraries,  101-103 

to  remove  from  books,  103 
Duyc'kink's      Cyclopaedia     of 

American  literature,  490 
Eames    (W.)    continuation    of 
Sabin's  Bibliotheca  Amer- 
icana, 485 
Editions,  to  be  always  noted, 
387 
first,  46,  388,  452 
Education,  245,  282-3 
Egypt,  libraries  of,  287-9 
Elzerirs,  424.  457 
Emerson   (R.  W.)     cited,  172, 

185 
Encj'clopaedia         Britannica, 
scope  and  limitations  of, 
14,   197-9,  245 
Enemies  of  books,  101-118 
Eng-lish    catalogue,   1835-1899, 
383,   495 
uses   dictionary   form,    383 
En-ors  in   books',   210-212,   255 

in  librarians,  256-7 
Essays,  9,  17 
Facsimile    reproduction,    132- 

134 
Fiction,  12,  18-28,  179 
Fires,  in  libraries,  106-8,  131, 
297 
destruction     of    books    by, 
448-9 
First  editions,  46,  388,  452 
Fletcher    (W.    I.),     classifica^ 
tion,  372 
index  to  periodicals,  169 
Force     (Peter)     historical    li- 
brary' of,  304 
rich  in  pamphlets,  150 
Formation  of     libraries,   357- 

362 
Franklin   (B.) 

collections  of  Frankliniana, 

456 
his  manuscripts,  489 
on  Philadelphia  library,  299 
French     language,     need     of, 

246-8,  257 
Furnishings  of  libraries,  326 


Gas,  an  enemy  of  books,  105 
Genealogy,  bibliographies  of, 

491-2,'  500 
George  IV,  library  of,  212 
Georgi    (T.)   AUgemeinas  Eu- 

ropaisches        biicher-lexi- 

kon,  465 
Gesner    (C.)    Bibliotheca  uni- 
versalis, 405 
Gould   (Jay)  History  of  Dela- 
ware county,  N.  Y.,  453 
Gowans  (William),  43 
Graesse,     Tresor     des     livres 

rares  et  precieux,  468 
Grangerising,   450 
Greece,  libraries  of,  288-9 
GriflBn   (A.   P.   C.)    indexes  of 

American   local     history, 

491 
Grolier  bindings,  73,  75 
Grolier  club,  N.  Y.,  85,  447 
Growoll   (A.)  Book  trade  bib- 
liography   in    the    U.    S., 

479 
Publishers'  weekly,  483 
Hain  (L.)  Repertorium  biblio- 

graphicum,  466 
Halliwell-Phillipps      (J.      0.), 

privatelj'    printed    books, 

446 
Harris     (W.     T.)     experience 

with  memory,  239 
Harrisse      (H.)       Bibliotheca 

Americana,  491 
Harvard     university    library, 

296 
Haven    (S.    F.)    Catalogue    of 

American       publications, 

1639-1775,  477 
Heat,  an  enemj'  of  books,  104 
Heber  library,  34 
Helps  to  readers,  191-214 
History,  7-8,   17 
of  liijraries.  287-320 
(local)     bibliography,     491, 

500 
Homer,  173,  184,  458 
Horace,  perfection  of  his  odes, 

184 


INDEX. 


505 


numboldt  (Baron  von),  449 

Humors  of  the  library,  430- 
443 

Hurst  (J.  F.)  on  choice  books, 
15 

Illustrated  books,  279,  450, 
451,  453-4 

Immoral  books,   20,   22,  453 

Index  expurgatorius,  448,  470 

Indexes,  use  of,  205-6 
how  to  make,  3SS-9 
substitutes  for,  207 

Injuries  to  books.  See  Crowd- 
ing-, Cutting-,  Dogs-earing, 
Enemies,  Ink,  ]Margins, 
Mutilations,  Soiling,  Trac- 
ing, Torn  leaves 

Ink,  use  of,  113 

how  removed,   128-9 

Inquiries,  innumeral)lc,  l'.)l- 
201 

International  copyright,  412 
416 

Iron  construction,   106 

Jiicher  (C.  G.)  Allgeraeines 
gelehrten-lexikon,  466 

Juvenile  books,  276,  8,  9 

Kelly  (J.)  American  cata- 
logue, 1861-1871,  481 

Khayyam   (Omar),  457 

Kirk  (J.  F.)  Supplement  to 
Allibone,    1850-1890,    495 

La  Bedoyere,  French  revolu- 
tion collection,  149 

Labelling  books,  90-93 

Ladies'  reading-rooms,  329 

Languages,  foreign,   240-248 

La  Serna  de  Santander,  Dic- 
tionnaire  bililiograjiliique, 
467 

Law  books,  l)inding,  76 

Letters,  8-9 

Ley[)ol(lt  (F.)  I'.ooks  of  all 
tinu',  4S1 

Librarian 

a  constant  aid,  200 
ancient    idea  of,  273 
as  an  author,  271-2 


Librarian — 
as  preserver  and  restorer  of 

books,  120-1 
benefits  to,  of  incjuiries,  202 
high  standard  for,  272 
indispensable,    how    to   be- 
come, 200,  203 
intercourse     with     readers, 

199 
librarian's  dream,  417 
qualifications  of,  242-274 
accuracy,    254 
business  habits,  249,  258 
courtesy,  250,  261 
energy  and  industry,  262 
foreign  languages,  246-248 
good  temper,  250 
habits  of  order,  257-260 
health.    251 

impartial  liberality,  264-5 
knowledge  of  books,  248 
love  of  his  work,  253 
patience  inexhaustible,  261 
sound  common  sense,  252 
t»act  unfailing,  202 
reserve     in     recommending 

books,     213 
"who  reads  is  lost,"  242,  274 
woes  of  a,  441-443 
Librarianship,  attractions  of, 
193,   268-271 
drawback.s   attending,   266-S 
opens    avenues    to   growth, 

269 
school  tif  111! mail  natnre,  270 
Lil)raries. 

ancient,  of  clay,  287-8 
aiul   copyright,  400-416 
and   .schools,  275  282 
and    nnivei-sities,   282,   293 
annnal  rejxirts  of,  349-356 
catalogues    of,    373-399 
cla.ssification  of.  362-372 
exaggeration  of  volumes  in, 

212-13 
forinatif)!!  of.  357-362 
foiinded   by   individual  gift, 
311-13 


506 


INDEX. 


Libraries,  history  of,  2S7-:]20 
historical,  .319 
list    of,    over    100,000    vols., 

309-10 
mercantile,  319 
monastic,  290-292 
picture  of  ancient,  273 
poetry  of,  417-430 
professional,  319 
prompt  service  in,  341-2 
readers  in,  1S6,  285-6 
special  report  on,  1S7G,   309 
state  libraries,  316-17 
statistics  of  American,  308 
subscription   libraries,   360 
ten  largest,  293 
travelling  libraries,   319-20 
uses  of,   275-286 
Library,  how  to  count  a,  350 

386 
Library,  humors  of  the,  430 
Library,  poetry  of  the,   417 
Library  advertising,  353-356 
Library  association  of  United 

Kingdom,  499 
Library     buildings     and  fur- 
nishings,   321-333 
See  Buildings 
Library  bulletins,  353 
Librar^^  commissioners.  345 
Library    committees,   333-340, 

360 
Library    donations,    361 
Library  Journal,  N.  Y.,  1876- 

99,'  499 
Library  laws  (State),  357,  359 
Library  of  Congress 

and    copyright    books,    404- 

411,  416 
appointments  in,  338 
joint  committee  on,  340 
our    national    conservatory 

of   books,   181-2 
restriction     of     MSS.     and 

rare  books,   225 
sketch  of  its  history,  303-5 
Library    regulations,   341-349, 

433-4 
Library  reports,  349 


Library  science  schools,  338 
Libraiy  trustees  or  boards  of 

managers,  333-340 
Literature,  history  of,  12-14 
Loudon  (A.)  History     of     In- 
dian wars,  476 
Lowndes      (W.     T.)      Bibliog- 
rapher's Manual,  494 
Macaulay     (T.    B.)     memory, 

229 
Maittaire   (M.)  Annales  typo« 

graphici,  467 
:\rarbling,  68 
Margins,  writing  or  marking 

on,   114,   124-5,   136 
Mazarin  Bible,  46,  445 
Memory,   the  faculty  of,  226- 
241^ 
attention    and     association, 

its  corner-stones,  236-7 
cardinal    qualification    of    a 

librarian,  226-7 
discursive   reading   impairs 

it,  240-1 
imjirovement  of,   236-240 
intuitive  memory,  230 
local  memory,  229 
verbal  memory,  228 
Migne  (J.  P.  ahhe)  Patrologie, 

447 
Milton,  11,  147,  184,  187,  458 
Mnemonic   systems,    234-236 
Morocco  binding,  56 
Morris    (William)     Kelmscott 

press,  447 
^Mutilation  of  books.  111,  124- 
126 
penal  laws  for,  135-6 
posting  offenders,  138 
New  Hampshire  library  law, 

314 
Newspapers,  see  Periodicals 
New  York  ^Mercantile  Library, 

selections  for,  32 
Xew  York  Public  library,  307 
Notation  of  book  sizes,  390 

of  book  dates,  381,  391 
Novels,   see  Fiction 
Nuremberg  chronicle,  452 


INDEX. 


507 


Omar    (Caliph)    sentence  im-. 

imted   to,   107,   171,  289 
Omniscience,    no   human,    172 
Open   shelves,   215-225 

American    library'    associa^- 

tion  on,  223 
an  open  question.  222 
benefits  of,  215-222,  224 
evils  of,  216-224 
international    library    con- 
ference on,  220-1 
Opinions  on  books,  27 
Ostend  manifesto,  196-7 
Pam])hlets,  literatiire  of,  145- 
156 
binding-  of,  153-155 
British  museum,  wealth  in, 

14!),   499 
classification  of,  152,  155 
definitions  of,  145 
dif^iity  and  power  of,  148 
embarrassments    of,    146 
great  works  printed  as,  147 
how  to  acquire,  151 
La   Bedoyere  collection   of, 

149 
Peter   Force,   collection    of, 

150 
swift  disa.ppca.ra.nce  of,  151 
Thomason  collection  of,  148 
Panzer  (G.  W.)  Annales  typo- 

graphici,  466 
Parchment,  54 

Peignot    (G.)   Repertoire  bib- 
liographique     universelle, 
469 
Dictionnairp  des  livres  con- 
damiu's,  448 
Periodicals,  literature  of,  157- 
170 
binding  of,  84-5 
cardinal  importance  of,  157, 

161,   15:'.-4.  285 
check  list  for,  1C8 
compared  with  books,  164 
completeness   of,    158-9 
Cfmtinuous    rca/ling    of   im- 
pairs the  memory,  241 


Periodicals — 

indexes  to,  169-170 
lettering  by  Poole  index,  84 
limited   library  circulation, 

167-8 
newspapers 
abuses  of,  180 
destruction  of,  62 
filing  for  readers'  use,  166 
library  notices  in,  353-6 
mutilation  of,  112 
number  of,   157,  160 
over-reading  of,  ISO,  241 
percentage    of,  to  books, 

157 
syndicate  publication,  165 
value  of,   301-2 

I'erkins  (F.  B.)  check-list  for 
American  local  history, 
491 

I'etzholdt  (J.)  Bibliotheca 
bibliooi'aphica,  469 

Philadelphia  library  com- 
pany's library,  299-302 

Philadelphia  Mercantile  Li- 
brary  fire,   131-2 

Phillipjis  (Sir  T.)  privately 
printed  books,  447 

Plato,  reading  of,  172,  178 

Phitarcli's  lives,  3,  184 

Poetical  quotations,  193,  204-5 

Poetry,  9-11,   18 

Poetry  of  the  library,  417-429 

Politics  in  libraries,  265 

Poole  (W.  F.)  plan  of  library 
building,  327 
on     ladies'     reading-rooms, 
329 

Poole's  indexes  to  periodical 
literature,  169 

Poor  Richard's  almanac,  456 

I'ratt  Institute  library,  thefta 
in,  144 

Prejiaration  for  the  shelves, 
88-97 

Press,  the,  and  the  library, 
353-356 

Prices  of  b'>oks.  36,  46-48,  444- 
451,  455-6,  497-8 


508 


INDEX. 


Privately  printed  books,  44G-7, 

473  " 
Problems,  insoluble,  194-G 
Pseiulonyms,  376-7 
Publishers'      Circiilnr      (Lon- 
don), 499 
Publishers'  Weekly,  N.  Y.,  4S3 
Qualifications     of     librarians, 

242-274 
Questions     asked,    innumera- 
ble,   191,   204,   206-9 
Quotations,     search     for,  193, 

204 
Rare  books,  113,  114,  224,  444- 
459 
causes  of  rarity,  445-457 
mere  age  not  a  cause,  446 
Readers,  aids  to,   190-214 
classification  of,  186-7,  190-1, 

206,   285-6 
favoritism  among,  217 
limitations  of  aid,  204,  208 
Reading,    art   of,    171-189 
best,  not  the  latest,  178-9 
choice  of,    3-32,    181-2,   277-8 
formative  power  of,  183-185 
passion    for,    458-9 
inspiration   of,    183-185 
librarian's,  121,  243-4,  248 
methods  of,  175-8,  186-7 
the  literal,  175 
the  intuitive,  176 
novel   reading,   179 
over-much  reading  of  news- 
papers, 180,  241 
perils  of  too  great  a.bsorji- 

tion  in,  185-6 
pleasures  of,   182-189 
reading  aloud,  177-8,  280 
taste  in,  181 
time  to  read,  173 
Reading  rooms,  326 
Reclamation  of  books,  119-144 
Recommending    books,    32 
to    be    done    sparingly,  213, 
244 
Reference,  books  of.  IG,  461-3 
Religion,  questions  about,  201, 
265 


Reports,  librarians',  349-356 
comprehensive,   349 
printing  of,  352 
Reserved    books,    224-5 
Restoration    and    reclamation 

of  books,  119-144 
Rich  (O.)    Bibliotheca   Ameri- 
cana, 491 
Roman  libraries,  290 
Roman  numerals,  81,  391-2 
Roorbach   (0.  A.)  Bibliotheca 
Americana,    1820-1861,  480 
Rubber     bands,     untrustwor- 
thy, 155 
Rules,'  library,    341-349 
call  slips  or  tickets,  346 
circulation,  limit,  346-7 
done  into  verse,  433-4 
hours,   344 

prompt  service,  341-2 
registration,   347 
vacations,  345 
Rush      (James)     bequest     to 
Philadelphia  Library  Co., 
301-2 
Ruskin  on   collecting    books, 

14 
Russia  binding,  56 
Sabin   (J.)   Bibliotheca  Amer- 
icana,  484-487 
School     district     libraries     a 

faillire,  317-19 
Schools  and  libraries,  275-282 
Science,  books  of,  11,  18 
Scotfs    Xapoleon,    bibliogra- 
phical object-lesson,  496-7 
Second-hand   book   shops,   42- 

45 
Selection  of  books.   3-32.  277 

See  Choice  of  books 
Shakespeare,   10,  46,   184,   188, 

458 
Sheep  binding,  55 
Shelves,  library,  325 
access  to,  215 

preparation    of   books    for, 
88 
Shelves,  open,  215-225 
Signatures,   65 


INDEX. 


509 


Size-not-ation    of    books,    389- 

391 
Sizing  paper,   128 
Smith's  Historie  of  Virginia, 

455 
Smithsonian  Institution 

collection     in     Library     of 

Congress,  304 
copyright  priviFege  of,  404 
Soiling  of  books,  116 
how  removed,  127 
Spelling,    facility    in,    232 

232 
Stack  system,  216,  325 
Stamps  in  books,  88-90,  114 
State    libraries,    316-17 
appointments;  in,  339 
Stealing  of     books.    111.     Sec 

thefts 
Ste<lman    (E.   C.)    Library   of 

American  literature,  490 
Stein  (IL)  Manuel  de  biblio- 
graphic, 470-1 
Stevens  (Henry)  characteris- 
tics of,  487,  489 
Story  (A)  about  stories,  436-7 
Style,    importance     of,    175-6, 

226 
sample  of  prose   run   mad, 

26 
Sunday-school  books,  276 
Sj-ndicate  publishing,    165-6 
Teaching,    269 
Tennyson    (Alfred)   early  erli- 

tions  of  poems,  452 
Thackeray    (W.    M.)    curious 

question  of,  205 
Thefts,  book,  111,  136-144 
leniency  in   case  of,  142-144 
methods      of      reclamation, 

141-144 
Time,  use  of,  173-4,  258-9 
"i'itles,  aVjridgment  of,   382-3 
alphabeting  of,  388-9 
entry     of,     in     catalogues, 

375-7 


Titles,  headings  of,  377 
lettering  of,  72-3,  78-83 
use  of  capitals  in,  378,  381, 
387 

Titles  of  novels,  done  into 
verse,   436-7 

Torn  leaves,  how  repaired,  122 

Tracing  of  maps  or  plates, 
113 

Travels,  11,  18 

Tree  calf  binding,  74 

Triibner  (N.)  Bibliographical 
guide  to  American  litera- 
ture, 484 

Trustees,  boards  of  library, 
268,   333-340 

Turner's  illustrations,  454,458 

ITlster  Co.  Gazette,  1800,  456 

Universal  catalogue,  4(i5 

Universities,  use  of  tlie  li- 
brary to,  282-285 

University  libraries,  294 

Uses   of   libraries,   275-286 

Vallee  (L.)  Bibliographic  des 
bibliographies,  470 

Vellum   binding,  54 

Voyages,  11,   18 

Walpole  (Horace)  Strawberry 
hill  press,  446 

"Washing  soiled  books,  127,129 

Watt  (R.)  Bibliotheca  Bri- 
tannica,  493-4 

Wealth,  all  estimates  of,  fu- 
tile, 194-0 

Winsor  (Justin)  a  prolific  au- 
thor, 272 
on    librarians'   iustruclions, 
284 

Woes  of  a  librarian,  441-443 

Worcester,        Massachusetts, 
public  library 
methods  of  selection,  31 
theft  in,  143 
»iso  of  by  5^rhools,  281 

\ti]i'  univcrsitv   lilu'ai'V,  298 


JBoo]i5  tov  Hutbors 


Authors  and  Publishers 


A    MANUAL    OF    SUGGESTIONS    FOR    BEGINNERS 
IN  LITERATURE 

Comprising  a  description  of  publishing  me- 
tiiods  and  arrangements,  directions  for  the 
preparation  of  MSS.  for  the  press,  explana- 
tions of  the  details  of  book-manufacturing, 
instructions  for  proof-reading,  specimens  of 
typography,  the  text  of  the  United  States 
Copyright  Lav/,  and  information  concerning 
International  Copyrights,  together  with 
general  hints  for  authors.  By  G.  H.  P.  and 
J.  B.  P. 

Seventh  Edition,  re-written  with  additional  material. 
8\  gilt  top net,  S'./'i 

CHIEF  CONTENTS 

Part  I. — Publishing  arrangements — Books  published  at 
the  risk  and  expense  of  the  publisher — Books  publislied  for 
the  account  of  the  author,  /.  e.,  at  the  author's  risk  and 
expense,  or  in  which  he  assumes  a  portion  of  the  invest- 
ment— Publishing  arrangements  for  productions  first  printed 
ill  periodicals  or  cyclopa;dias — Tiie  literary  agent — Authors' 
associations — Advertising — On  securing  copyright. 

Part  11. — The  Making  of  Books — Composition — Electro- 
typing — Prcsswork — Bookbinding — Illustrations. 

"  Full  of  vnlu.ible  inform.ition  for  authors  and  writers.  ...  A 
most  instructive  and  excellent  manual." — Geokgk  Wm.  Cuktis  in 
Harper^ s  Afagazine. 

"  this  hnndy  and  useful  book  is  written  with  perfect  fairness  and 
abounds  in  hints  which  writers  will  do  well  to  'make  a  note  of." 
.  .  .  There  is  a  host  of  other  matters  treated  succinctly  and  lucidly 
which  it  behoves  beginners  in  literature  to  know,  and  we  can  recom- 
mend it  most  heartily  to  them." — London  Spectator. 


Hutbors 
Ipublis  ..ti- 


G,   P.   PUTNAM'S  SONS,  Ni:w  York  and  London 


BY  GEO.  HAVEN  PUTNAM 


AUTHORS  AND  THEIR  PUBLIC  IN 
ANCIENT  TIMES 

A  Sketch  of  Literary  Conditions  and  of  the  Relations  with  the 

Public  of  Literary  Producers,  from  the  Earliest  Times 

to  the  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

Second  edition,  revised,  12°,  gilt  top,  $1.50. 

Tlie  book  abounds  in  information,  is  written  in  a  delightfully  succinct  and 
agreeable  manner,  with  apt  comparisons  that  are  often  humorous,  and  with 
scrupulous  exactness  to  statement,  and  without  a  sign  of  partiality  either  from 
an  author's  or  a  publisher's  point  of  view. — New  York  Ti?nes. 

BOOKS  AND  THEIR  MAKERS  DURING 
THE  MIDDLE  AGES 

A  Study  of  the  Conditions  of  the  Production  and  Distribution  of 

Literature  from  the  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  to  the 

Close  of  the  Seventeenth  Century. 

In  two  volumes,  8°,  cloth  extra  (sold  separately),  each  $2.50 

Vol.  L,  476-1600 — Vol.  IL,  1500-1709. 

It  is  seldom  that  such  wide  learning,  such  historical  grasp  and  insight,  have 
been  employed  in  their  service. — Atlantic  A/onthly. 

It  is  a  book  to  be  studied  rather  than  merely  praised.  .  .  .  That  its 
literary  style  is  perfect  is  acceptaljle  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  equally  of 
course  is  it  that  the  information  it  contains  bears  the  stamp  of  historical  verifica- 
tion.— N.   Y.  Sun. 

THE  QUESTION  OF  COPYRIGHT 

Comprising  the  text  of  the  Copyright  Law  of  the  United  States, 
and  a  summary  of  the  Copyright  laws  at  present  in  force  in 
the  chief  countries  of  the  world  ;  together  with  a  report  of  the 
legislation  now  pending  in  Great  Britain,  a  sketch  of  the  con- 
test in  the  United  States,  1837-1891,  in  behalf  of  Interna- 
tional Copyright,  and  certain  papers  on  the  development  of 
the  conception  of  literary  property  and  on  the  results  of  the 
American  law  of  1891. 

Second  edition,  revised,  with  additions,  and  with  the  record  of 
legislation  brought  down  to  March,  1896.     8"^,  gilt  top,  $1.75. 

A  perfect  arsenal  of  facts  and  arguments,  carefully  elaborated  and  very  effec- 
tively presented.  .  .  .  Altogether  it  constitutes  an  extremely  valuable 
history  of  the  development  of  a  very  intricate  right  of  property,  and  it  is  ai 
interesting  as  it  is  valuable. — N.    Y.  Nation. 


G.   P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 
Nkw  York  :  27  West  23d  Street.  London  :  24  Bedford  St.,  Strand. 


BY  MOSES   COIT  TYLER 


A  HISTORY  OF  AMERICAN 
LITERATURE  DURING  THE  COLONIAL 

TIME 

New  Edition,  revised,  in  two  volumes. 

Volume  I. — 1607-1676.     Volume  II. — 1676-1765.     Each  $12.50. 

Agawam  edition,  2  vols,  in  one.     8°,  half  leather,  $3.00. 

'  ■  In  the  execution  of  his  work  thus  far,  Professor  Tyler  has  evinced  a  skill  in 
the  arrangement  of  his  materials,  and  a  masterly  power  of  combination, 
which  will  at  once  place  it  in  a  very  eminent  rank  among  American  historical 
compositions.  It  is  not  so  much  the  history  of  a  special  develo]iment  of  liter- 
ature, as  a  series  of  profound  and  brilliant  studies  on  the  character  and  genius 
of  a  people  of  whcnn  that  literature  was  the  natural  product.  The  work  betrays 
acute  philosophical  insight,  a  rare  power  of  historical  research,  and  a  cultivated 
literary  habit,  which  was  ]>erhaps  no  less  essential  than  the  two  former  con- 
ditions, to  its  successful  accomplishment.  The  style  of  the  author  is  marked 
by  vigor,  originality,  comprehensiveness,  and  a  curious  instinct  in  the  selection 
of  words.  In  this  latter  respect,  though  not  in  the  moulding  of  sentences, 
the  reader  may  perhaps  be  reminded  of  the  choice  and  fragrant  vocabulary  of 
Washington  living,  whose  words  alone  often  leave  an  exquisite  odor  like  the 
perfume  of  sweet-brier  and  arbutus." — Gkorge  Ripley,  in  'J'he  Tribiiue. 

TWM  LITERARY  HISTORY  OF  THE 
AMERICAN  REVOLUTION 

1 763-1 783 

Two  volumes,  large  octavo.    Sold  separately. 
Volume  I. — 1763-1776.     Volume  II. — 1776-1783.     Each  $3.00. 

This  work  is  the  result  of  an  altogether  new  and  original  treatment  of  the 
.American  Revolution.  ■  The  outward  history  of  that  pcriixl  has  been  man)' 
times  written,  and  is  now,  by  a  new  school  of  American  historians,  being 
freshly  re-written  in  the  light  of  larger  evidence,  and  after  a  more  disinterested 
and  judicial  method.  In  the  present  work,  for  the  first  time  in  a  systematic 
and  complete  way,  is  set  forth  the  inward  history  of  our  Revolution,  —  the  history 
of  its  ideas,  its  spiritual  moods,  its  passions,  as  these  uttered  themselves  at  the 
time  in  the  writings  of  the  two  parties  of  Americans  who  cither  promoted  or 
resisted  that  great  movement. 

THREE  MEN  OF  LETTERS 

Chapters  in  Literary  Biograpliy  and  Critici.sin  devoted  to 

George  Berkeley,  Timothy  Dwight,  and  Joel  liarlow. 

12^  gilt  top,  $1.25. 

"  Though  more  lengthy  than  most  of  the  sketches  in  Professor  Tyler's  well- 
known  '  History,'  these  monogra])hs  have  much  of  the  brevity  of  their  original 
purpose  ;  and  they  arc  marked  by  the  same  jjicturesfpiencss  of  treatment,  the 
same  vivacity  of  expression,  and  the  same  felicity  of  statement,  that  characterize 
the  author's  larger  volumes." — The  Nation. 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  New  York  and  London 


LANGUAGE 


SOME  COMMON  ERRORS  OF  SPEECH. 

Suggestions  for  the  Avoiding  of  Certain  Classes  of  Errors,  together  with 

Examples  of  Bad  and  of  Good  Usage.     By  Alfrku  G.  Compton, 

Professor  in  College  of  the  City  of  New  York.     12°  .         $  .75 

"This  is  an  interesting  and  sensible  little  book,  comraendably  free  from  the 
pedantry  which  usually  disfigures  books  on  the  correct  use  of  English.  The  author's 
comments  on  faults  in  grammar  are  terse,  and  cover  some  grave  offenses  against 
correct  English  " — Koc'iesier  Herald. 

A  SIMPLE   GRAMMAR  OF   ENGLISH   NOW   IN  USE. 

By  John  Earle,  A..\I.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Anglo-Saxon,  University 

of  Oxford,  author  of  "  English  Prose  :  Its  Elements,  History,  and 

Usage."     12° $1.50 

"  The  work  is  extremely  interesting  and  contains  a  large  amount  of  original,  sug- 
gestive and  available  observation.  The  subject  matters  have  been  treated  in  a 
sensible  and  attractive  manner.  The  volume  is  one  which  should  be  read  by  every 
teacher  of  English." — London  Atheniemitn. 

THE  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE  AND  ENGLISH  GRAMMAR. 

An  Historical  Study  of  the  Sources,  Development,  and  Analogies  of  the 
Language,  and  of  the  Principles  covering  its  Usage.  By  Samuel 
Ramsey.     8° $2.00 

"  Mr.  Ramsey's  work  will  appeal  especially  to  those  that  desire  to  know  something 
more  about  the  history  and  philology,  the  growth  and  mistakes  of  their  native  tongue, 
than  is  given  in  the  ordinary  text-books." — Baltimore  Su7i. 

ORTHOMETRY. 

A  Treatise  on  the  Art  of  Versification  and  the  Technicalities  of  Poetry, 

with  a  New  and  Complete  Rhyming  Dictionary.    By  R.  F.  Brewer, 

B.A.     12°,  pp.  XV.  -f-  376 $2.00 

"  It  is  a  good  book  for  its  purpose,  lucid,  compact,  and  well  arranged.  It  lays  bare, 
we  believe,  the  complete  anatomy  of  poetry.  It  affords  interesting  quotations,  in  the 
way  of  example,  and  interesting  comments  by  distinguished  critics  upon  certain  pas- 
sages from  the  distinguished  poets." — A'.  I     ?//«. 

MANUAL  OF  LINGUISTICS. 

An  Account  of  General  and  English  Phonology.    By  John  Clark,  A.M. 

8°,  pp.  Ixiu. -j- 314 $2.00 

"Mr.  Clark  has  traced  the  English  language  back  to  its  foundations  in  his  work 
'  Manual  of  Linguistics.'  It  is  an  interesting  theme,  and  his  book  will  prove  very  use- 
ful for  reference,  for  he  has  culled  from  many  sources  and  gone  over  a  wide  territory." 
— Detroit  Free  Press. 

COMPOSITION  IN  THE  SCHOOL-ROOM. 

A  Practical  Treatise.     By  E.  Galbraith.     16°,  cloth    .         .         $1.00 

"  The  author  has  drawn  fully  from  the  best  writers  on  the  subject,  and  her  book  is  an 
epitome  of  the  best  thought  of  all."  —  Boston  Transcript. 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  New  York  and  London. 


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